


Lovin' You is like a Fairytale

by whoreshi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, Cheating, Elves, Exes, Fairies, Harry Potter References, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Superpowers, Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2020-06-03 09:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 98,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19461472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoreshi/pseuds/whoreshi
Summary: The worst scenario that can happen to a shapeshifter is when they cannot recall their true identity. This applies to Sicheng, and the only way to unravel his situation is to confront his ex, Jung Jaehyun.





	1. When the moon hits your skin, I could see you and him

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA–“

“You’re in a hospital. Shut up.” Yuta snaps. It was not only him pissed at a shrieking Sicheng, but as well as all of the people present in the room.

“I gave up a really great shower sex to be here, so don’t ever say I didn’t do anything for our friendship.” Ten crosses his arms on his chest as he displayed a salty face.

“Oh, and you deny you’re in a relationship with Johnny hyung," Donghyuck grins. “Ten hyung, if you’ve not been a terrible liar then I would’ve been cool with you being my brother-in-law.”

“Everyone, let Sicheng talk.” Kun intervenes. All eyes traveled to a helpless Sicheng lying on the plain white bed, who was sporting a Doyoung look. He would’ve looked cool in the rabbit-looking man if he wore no bandages rolled on his head and a cast wrapping his left foot. Not to forget the scars he left on Doyoung’s (actually his own) pale cheek and milky skin.

“So,” the crippled man begins. “I’m screwed.”

“That’s not where you start,” Renjun facepalms. “Tell us how you got into an accident and why of all forms you shapeshifted into Seoul Assemblage’s well-known journalist and the CEO’s secretary and boyfriend, Kim Dongyoung.”

“I’m sure Yuta and Ten know about this already but uhh, I made a deal with Yukhei to steal a one billion worth cash from the company. Before I could even reach the building, I got hit by a goddamn truck and it’s all thanks to Kim Dongyoung’s perfect frame! I haven’t gotten used to his body yet so ugh, I could only wobble trying to cross the pedestrian street in front of the company.” Sicheng sighs.

Donghyuck wheezes. “It would’ve been funny if you made a scene right in front of their company and had all the press and news gather in front of your supposed corpse.”

“Even your voice while in a bitchy bunny form is funny and strange at the same time,” Chenle comments, Renjun kicking his shin to silence him up.

“I’ve never really studied his voice so I didn’t change my voice too, I only took his form.” Sicheng replies. “Kun was there to save me right away and teleport me here to the hospital. I thank you for your magical service, Kun.”

“No problem. And as much as I want to portray a soft-hearted and warm person, I find it laughable how the truck driver made a fool out of himself saying he ran over an invisible figure on the streets and how he’ll spread the news to the whole town.”

“How come no one in this hospital recognized me as a bloody Mary version of Doyoung though?” Sicheng inquires out of curiosity, eyes glancing at the two wizards.

“Yuta hyung casted a cool spell on you,” Mark answers.

“It’s something that makes you appear as a different person to people rather than the ugly bloodied Doyoung we can see,” Yuta adds. “Anyway, are you fine enough to shapeshift again though?”

“No, I think my cast still has to heal before I can take a new form again. And oh, that reminds me the real reason why I gathered you here, dear folks.”

“Yes?” Donghyuck’s eyes twinkled in anticipation.

Sicheng takes a deep breath. “I have a minor amnesia.”

  
  
  
  
  


Sicheng scampers down the riverbank to throw stones into the water to escape boredom. He had a cast just this morning, but being a supernatural creature, it healed faster than how it normally does and he was no longer handicapped. Doctors noticed the peculiarity with the hideous patient, nonetheless his friends dismissed the shocking discovery with an excuse affirming Sicheng was just too healthy and extremely strong.

The boy stares at the body of water, illuminated with the blending vibrancies of the city and buildings nearby. It’s pretty, Sicheng admits, and coming here is a way to release the weight off his shoulders.

Sicheng has a problem. Right now, he is sporting a random Korean man’s features and even his body frame. He plans to appear like that from now on till he discovers his true form, going to do so under the name ‘Moon Taeil’.

  
  
  


_ “Minor what?” Mark gasps, flabbergasted. “Amnesia? Bold breeds like you get them?” _

_ Kun frowns. “And what have you forgotten?” _

_ Silence pauses. Sicheng looks down. “I don’t remember my true form. But hey, be thankful I forgot none of you.” _

_ “Oh heaven’s sake,” Yuta inhales, “and a spell specifically for shapeshifters to return to their true forms exist only for stupefied ones.” _

_ “Then stupefy me?” _

_ “You fool, that won’t do. That spell will only backfire to those with no memory of their real forms.” _

_ “We know a potion to restore one’s memories, but it only works on humans. All supernatural creatures like us are exclusions.” Kun adds. _

_ “Oh god,” Sicheng heaves a sigh. “What about you, Ten, my best friend since birth? How did I look like when I came out of my mother’s vagina?” _

_ “I don’t remember either but then again, you were born centuries ago.” Ten keenly avers. _

_ “What about you my cousins, Renjun? Chenle? How did I look like during my youth?” _

_ “I have no idea what your true form is, I don’t even know if you were born as a human or an animal! You shapeshifted a lot and never told us which one is your real form.” Renjun yells, and Sicheng felt the young man’s rage towards this mess he brought upon himself. _

_ “Renjun hyung is right. Only a single detail is what I remember. You kept boasting how you have a cute fairy ear that makes you unique. Like bitch, your family literally descended from a family of fairies and that’s why you got to be cool cousins with us.” Chenle states. “A fairy ear that me and Renjun hyung, born fairies, ironically don’t have is all I know regarding the features of your true form.” _

_ “Well shit, I’m in big trouble.” Sicheng huffs. _

_ “So that was the ‘I’m screwed’ earlier for huh?” _

_ “Shut it Donghyuck, this is the most problematic situation I’ve ever faced. I hate trucks. Oh, and Yukhei too.” _

_ “There’s only one way to get back to your true form, Sicheng.” Ten speaks. “Reunite with your ex.” _

His ex. Sicheng throws another stone, the water gently rippling.

He still remembers his ex-boyfriend. Ten wasn’t wrong about saying that meeting up with his ex-boyfriend was the only way, and it could’ve been the best way too. Yet, Sicheng finds it too challenging to do. Facing his ex after a thousand years of not contacting each other as if they’ve been erased from each other's worlds? Sicheng truly finds that amusing and difficult at the same time.

His ex-boyfriend. He only found out his ex was now the CEO of a worldwide famous company through Ten after he had been discharged from the hospital, whose boyfriend Johnny happened to be working at the same company. What shocked Sicheng even more was the fact that he is in a relationship with Kim Fucking Big Mouth Dongyoung, the popular journalist with overflowing knowledge known throughout the country after news of him being engaged to the CEO became a wild talk on various media platforms and the general public. He has always been a big part of Sicheng's past, the specific past that remains shattered till now. And oh no, he stole money from their company without being caught. According to Yuta, the money is safe in Jungwoo’s hand, their gang’s trustworthy treasurer.

Sicheng throws a stone again.

His ex-boyfriend who he thought would love him forever, whom he poured himself to. To whom he showed his natural form his true beauty, his real appearance; only his ex knew how the real him looked like. Love all broke down when Sicheng caught him cheating on him with someone else who he now realized was Doyoung, and not to mention how Doyoung acknowledged his presence in a totally disrespectful and rude manner. He crushed Sicheng’s world, crumbled his heart till no pieces were left and till his life was in his shambles, and the shapeshifter swore on his life he’ll never love again.

Another stone, and again, another one, and again till his arm hurts from being constantly swung.

“Fuck my ex.”

_ Splash _ .

“Fuck him, really.”

  
  
  
  
  


“Cool,” notes Ten. “But you do know that you might get framed for anything the real Moon Taeil dude has ever done wrong, right?”

“Fool, Chittaphon. No such Moon Taeil exists in this polluted planet, that’s why I took his form. Cool, right?” Sicheng replies, currently on his Moon Taeil form wearing a flashy get-up he tried fitting on from inside Ten's wardrobe. “Anyway, I need your comments and bits of advice before I sign up for the company. Perhaps I can earn money wisely this time whilst I pin for the cunt only to get receipts of the real beautiful Dong Sicheng.”

“You invented a human form that hasn’t yet existed,” Ten gapes. “I knew I had to respect you despite being decades younger than me. And about your appearance, it’s all okay, to be honest. You look normal, nothing out of ordinary, just a simple living human. You bring that vibe which no one would suspect you because you look like an innocent teen whose job is a cashier at some convenience store downtown. Bet Johnny boy would love to be friends with you but remember, Sicheng, Johnny is mine and mine only and Jaehyun is yours and yours only. Make that nasty rabbit get his hands off your property, you deserve that brat no matter how much he shitted on you. Besides, why is the name Moon Taeil familiar though?”

“Not on my watch Ten, I’m not going back to that man.” Sicheng sighs, crossing his arms. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about but if that’s the case then maybe Moon Taeil was one of the postmen Kun killed back in the year 1931 for delivering an anonymous mail that wasn’t supposed to be delivered to him.”

“We don’t have watches, Sicheng, none of us would buy those handy digital clocks that hug our precious wrists. We supernatural species don’t care about the time.”

“Okay, Chittaphon, shut up for once. First and foremost of all, I have no intention of getting cheater Jung back to me because oh god, he was a terrible boyfriend who broke my heart. As part of my history in my whole lifetime, he was and remains to this day my ex, and that’ll never change. It’s a permanent record that can’t be changed. Second, I’m just going to have a casual talk with him about his ex; that is if he still remembers me. We’ve dated decades ago, so me appearing to him as the Dong Sicheng he knows will probably not work. That’s why I’m disguised as this short moony guy.” Sicheng glanced to see Ten grinning at him as if to tell him ‘ _ suffer and deal with this yourself _ ’, but his eyes conveyed true concern instead.

“Sicheng, people change. Ever since you broke up with him, the press always said Jung Jaehyun became a quiet, timid person. They referred to him as a hard nut to crack.”

  
  
  
  
  


_ “Hey Sicheng, you okay? Did you get to the venue safely?” _

“Yes, but I’m worn out,” responds Sicheng to the call. “I think running around as a mouse to hurry up was a bad idea. I almost got stepped on.”

A sigh is heard from the other line. _ “Good. Have you entered?” _

“Not yet. Kun, I’m scared. I’m standing in front of the building like an idiot, I can see my trembling reflection on the entrance glass.”

_ “Thought you were courageous, what happened? Ten said he told his boyfriend you were coming today, so maybe he’ll guide you on your first day. You should come in and act as a new worker, not someone who just recently robbed a million bills from the company. Talk to the receptionist and make sure he’s a charming elf. Tell him you’re the new office worker hired and he’ll tell you where Johnny is. That’s all Ten said to me. Good luck on your first day, Sicheng. Remember, progress is expected to be extremely slow before you get to encounter CEO Jung, so don’t rush.” _

“Thanks, I can already feel I’ll get screwed so soon.”

Kun turns off the call right away to avoid more rants from the younger while Sicheng could only huff.

Sicheng steps inside the building. It doesn't take long for him to spot the counter on the side wherein a captivating man was on guard. Sicheng approaches.

“Good day, sir. My name is Moon Taeil, and I assume this is my first day as a hired employee in this company, right?”

“Yes, your arrival was highly anticipated today so I’m glad you showed up.” The receptionist, whose tag inscribes Lee Taeyong, glances at Sicheng with glimmering eyes. His eyes flashed green for a second before turning back to the monotonous yet alluring grey-colored orbs. Sicheng didn’t cease to notice that, and he knew what that meant. He’s an elf indeed, and the flash of color in his eyes showed interest towards Sicheng.

“Thank you, I feel honored.”

“Anytime. Mr. Seo is waiting for you on the twelfth floor, Department of Finance. As soon as you step out of the elevator, just walk straight ahead until you see a private office with Mr. Seo’s name engraved on the fiberglass. No doubt he’s there as he always is.”

“I see. Thank you so much for the directions.”

Taeyong only smiles at Sicheng and to say he is charming is an understatement. Sicheng snaps out of his daydream and then walked in an empty elevator at the farthest right which just opened thanks to his fortunate timing. Clicking the button designated for the said floor, Sicheng sighs. He looked at his own reflection in the mirror walls of the elevator.

“I see sighing doesn’t suit this person,” Sicheng comments to himself. “Uh, a distressed Moon Taeil? It’s like it’s too rare to see as if it was never part of him at all with just by the presentable visuals. Another reason to act professional, I see.”

The elevator dings as Sicheng’s heart leaps. He stops on the seventh floor, and someone so familiar walked in with a stack of documents on hand. He observed Sicheng from head to toe as if he was an endangered animal harmed. Sicheng fought back a shiver.  _ Have to act professional, I have to act as a professional. _

How the hell will he calm when it’s definitely the one and only Kim Dongyoung in an elevator with him?

By the time the elevator doors closed as the lift went further up again, the man breaks the silence and calls for Sicheng’s attention.

“Hey, you’re the new worker from today, right?”

“Yes, and this is my first time riding this elevator too.”  _ Jesus Christ, what kind of answer is that? _

The other just chuckles, causing Sicheng to feel a bit relieved. “Johnny’s expecting a lot from you, actually. It’s a pity Jaehyun hasn’t heard about you yet but pretty sure he will soon. He still needs rest and I hope you can lift up his mood too.”

“Of course, Mr. Kim, his health is a major concern. I’ll try my best to meet his satisfaction and please him with my performance.”

Doyoung beams. “Thank you so much, I appreciate your dedication. I might as well give you a raise.”

“Oh no no, no sir, you’re too nice. I’m fine with just my regular salary.”

“You have no choice if it gets confirmed that you get a pay raise,” Doyoung suggests. The bell dings again and the doors automatically opened. “Oh, are you going to Johnny?”

“Yes. I hope our first meeting will be alright though.”

“Don’t worry, that big guy is nothing next to an intimidating and scary guy. He’s nice, but bite his lover and he’ll push you off a cliff.”

_ Uhm, I’ve actually bitten Ten before? When he stole my underwear and ate all my peanut butter jam? _

“I see, thanks. I have to go now, have a good day.”

“Back to you. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Moon.”

Sicheng anxiously steps out of the lift. He feels stiff, the sole of his shoe feeling uncomfortable under his feet. Jaehyun is stressed according to Doyoung, and Sicheng just wanted to remember his true form through him. This would be such a bamboozling situation to handle.

  
  
  
  
  


"Mr. Moon! You're here!"Johnny stands up from his seat and walks towards Sicheng with his arms spread open for a welcoming embrace. He initiates a friendly hug, Sicheng hugging back in gratitude. "I've been waiting for you."

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long," says Sicheng, wearing a pleased smile.

"Your office is on the sixth floor, you have fellow interns there. Documents for you to work on are already placed on your desk, and as reported to me, your desk is near the corner of the office with the placard of your name. You're scheduled to have your ID photoshoot in a few days by the way, and that's all for you today."

"Ah," Sicheng nods his head. "Alright, thank you so much."

"We're expecting the best from you. Ten talks about you a lot, so I believe you're fully capable."

"Oh that, um," Sicheng giggles. "I hope you know we're just friends. He's normally a blabbermouth."

"It's alright, we have a healthy relationship."

Sicheng smiles at him and turns around to the door, about to head out of Johnny's office until the CFO speaks once more.

"Good luck," Johnny cheers. "Good luck with work. And not only that but also your mission."

Sicheng averts his attention to Johnny and widens his eyes upon seeing him grinning. He musters what he can say, "y-you know?!"

"Ten told me. The even more interesting fact about this is that we meet again. The last time I saw you, you tripped down a flight of stairs in front of Queen Jeongsun of Joseon era." The CFO grins. “I'm not against it, in fact I'm concerned that you can't remember your true form. If there's anything you need, I'll be there to help. After all, I'm Jaehyun's best friend. You can contact me if any means. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone, not even Jaehyun."

Sweat trickles down Sicheng's face. He bows again to Johnny, the latter shooting him a smile.

"Thank you."

  
  
  
  
  


Sicheng decided to keep himself busy for the whole day. It is his first day, but he felt like he should give all his might and exert more effort to be promoted into a higher department. He's the newest intern among the department anyway, desperate for a paycheck. The last time he felt rich was back when he and Jaehyun were still together for the latter would always buy him expensive things.   


  
"Excuse me?"   


  
Sicheng turns to the voice that had just called, standing up from his swivel chair to formally bow. The man who seems much younger than him bowed back and gave him a gentle smile, his eyes crinkling in delight. Sicheng thinks it's cute.   


  
"Good day. Are you Mr. Moon by any chance?"   


  
"Yes, I am. I guess you could already tell from my flaming red hair anyway."   


  
"It's really spottable, so I figured." The young man replies with a low giggle. He wasn't wearing any ID, so Sicheng didn't get to zoom in his vision and check whatever the boy's name is.   


  
"So what did you call me for?"   


  
"I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time, but can you write a draft of the CEO's speech for the party tomorrow? The finance department is a mess right now because of the marketing corporation's mistake, and I have to tend to them and bring peace. You also look reliable and I hope you're not burdened by the fact that we are very dependent on each other. I genuinely apologize because I heard it's your first day today and I hope you don't mind."   


  
"Jesus Christ," Sicheng mutters under his breath, though it was barely audible for the other man to hear. "I don't mind, of course, so far I was only appointed with boring paperwork anyway. May I ask what's the party about?"   


  
"It's an exclusive ambassador party where foreigners who manage our brand in other countries gather. Since we've succeeded in reaching our goal of having more than 100 branches in this world, that party was settled to be a meaningful event." He responds, voice clear and articulate as if he had been doing this for his whole life. "The deadline of the draft will be at 5 this afternoon. If done, please pass onto the correspondence section. Make sure it's consequential, consists of more than ten sentences and about seven inches long."   


  
"I see," Sicheng simply states. "Alright then, I got it. Thank you so much for the offer, I'm willing to accept it and keep my work efficiency high today. By the way, aren't all workers supposed to walk around this building with their ID's on?"   


  
Panic crosses the younger's face, but by the next second, he was able to mask it well with a fake smile. "Oh goodness, I forgot to wear it again. I'm sorry for my stupidity, I'm ashamed to have caused a hindrance in front of you, a new worker. I'm Lee Jeno, an accountant. A pleasure to meet you."   


  
"Good day, Mr. Lee Jeno. I'm pleased to be working with you from now on."   


  
"Same with me. If you don't mind, I have to leave now." Jeno bows once again before walking out of the office. Sicheng didn't fail to catch him mumbling something to himself that sounded like ' _ goodness, I'm lucky to be a future in-law of the CEO or else I would've been fired. _ '

  
  


  
  


  
"Oh? What brings you here, Sicheng?" The short man inquires upon seeing the said boy as soon as he opened his door. "How was your first day? You don't look delighted nor gloomy. What's up?"   
  
"My mood." Sicheng simply utters. "I mean, I'm alright you know. Also, I came here to ask you about something."   
  
"Anything for you, 'Chengie dear."   
  
"Do you have any suits? It's just my first day yet I heard all the workers have to attend a company party tomorrow. And since I don't have any formal clothes, I thought I could rely on you."   
  
"Lucky for you I do, and pretty sure it'll fit on your 'Moonie' body." Ten winks at him. "Let's go to my room, I'll show you my A. McQueen rose embroidered suit."   
  


  
  
  


  
"I'm sorry I took long," Sicheng walks in panting, catching up to his own breath. He greets Doyoung by the table of a buffet, brushing off his own suit to get away with the informality. Doyoung just smiles at him, not really minding about the vague signs of unprofessionalism from the intern newbie.

“It's alright, Mr. Moon, just don't do it again. The CEO is pretty strict nowadays, anyone who makes the littlest mistakes will be fired in a blink of an eye.” Doyoung leers at him. Sicheng sheepishly smiles back, a bit intimidated by what he had just said.

“The party is about to begin. I'll see you sometime later, I have to go. Make yourself comfortable but don't dig too much out of work. This is still part of your job, Mr. Moon. I'm sure you're aware of that.” Sicheng nods in understatement as Doyoung walks away, blending himself with the other attendees of the party. Sicheng sighs in relief with Doyoung's presence gone.

He was about to pour himself a glass of champagne from the buffet when he heard two unfamiliar workers from behind, their conversation no doubt centered at him.

“Did you see the secretary talking to that new intern? Wow, when was he so nice?”

“I know right? He used to be salty and unproductive, I wonder what happened.”

“Hey, I heard that new intern had to hold in his thirst because he hasn't figured out where the water dispenser is. Poor boy, I feel sorry. Still, it's shocking to see a new side of the secretary right before my eyes and with that intern.”   
  
Sicheng twitches an eyebrow.  _ What the hell? How did they know the thirst thing? _   
  
“The water dispenser, really?”

“Yeah, my powers.”

_ ‘Ah _ ,’ Sicheng keeps his straight face and proceeded into pouring himself a glass of champagne.  _ Another superhuman trying to blend with humanity _ .   
  


Not minding about the gossiping machines anymore, Sicheng downs a glass of champagne alone as he found himself standing near the entrance door. He had nowhere to sit although it's mainly because he doesn't want his presence to be acknowledged by much-known people sitting on the grandly decorated round tables.   
  


Minutes passed by and an announcement about the CEO's speech coming in a few seconds resonated through the emcee's mic. Sicheng isn't really hyped. All he wanted to do at the moment is collapse into bed and fall asleep into a deep slumber.

Those few seconds were up as a speed of light. The host welcomes Jaehyun whilst the audiences gave him a round of applause through his way up the stairs and to the center of the stage, wherein the podium stand is situated.

Sicheng gulps a huge amount of his champagne, eyes fixated on Jaehyun. Not that he minds, however, Sicheng can't help but stare at Jaehyun standing there in his glory. He had to admit it; Jaehyun is too handsome for the world, slaying Saint Laurent tops. A velvet jacket and a Damier Lurex shirt? It's as if the brand was customized for Jaehyun and Jung Jaehyun himself only.  _ Oh no _ , Sicheng slaps himself. _ I can't be falling again. Not this time. _

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” comes the appreciative, welcoming voice, yet full of sternness. “Tonight, I welcome you to this company ambassador party.”

‘ _ Oh wow, that was in my draft. Glad they didn't edit that out _ .’

“I would like to welcome our honored guests from overseas. I wish you all a pleasant time among us and success in your work.” Jaehyun's voice resonated throughout the room. “There were many special people who joined us in our endeavor and made it possible to create a name that we have today. To all those people and those who joined us in our journey, a big thank you goes to you. Without your contribution, we would never be here, responsible for handling 100 branches from all over the world as it further expands in the future.”

Sicheng doesn't move an inch. He feels stupefied just by his own words spoken by his former love, his ex, Jung Jaehyun, in front of high-class people invited to the formal party.  _ Why does he speak like a god? Normally soothing but formally daunting? Damn _ , the duality is making Sicheng tremble in his soles.

“While we all pretty much carry nostalgia and our pride everywhere, let us not forget that tonight is about a celebration of hard work, and looking forward to the future we aim for as we get to know acquaintances to strengthen the bond between companies. One that is bright and everything that we once had hoped for. Let your hair down and enjoy the rewards of your hard work and passion as you discover more wondrous people. Thank you for making this a dream come true.”

Sicheng doesn't even realize he was already spacing out, lost in a trance due to how Jaehyun's voice echoed in his sharp, extraordinary ears, no longer hearing the rest of his written speech. Thankfully for Sicheng, his draft wasn't edited that much as if they approved of the entire piece he wrote, so hearing Jaehyun speak almost everything that he typed is like listening to a continuous melody.

“Lastly, dear guests, may I invite you all to join me in wishing the company, and all the companies we're intact with, a very successful and fruitful future.”

Claps and cheers were heard the moment Jaehyun had finished his speech, the CEO now walking out the stage with a smile on his face as if it had been glued there forever. Sicheng understands anyway; it's part of his business to portray an image of a mindful, aspiring CEO.   
  
Sicheng's hitches his breath.  _ Wow _ , is all he can say.

  
  
  


  
  


When the party gradually died down, Sicheng went straight home. Well, not really home, but to Ten's apartment. The usual to Sicheng.

By the time Sicheng knocked, Ten didn't waste time opening the door. He didn't have to greet Sicheng like a long lost friend due to the sight of him worn out in his A. McQueen suit. Instead, he ushered him inside and sent him flying to the couch, slamming the door shut. Ten dashed to the mini fridge, snatched a refrigerated milk and went back to check up on Sicheng.

“Oh dear, you seem really tired,” Ten cooes like a caring mother would.

“I am,” Sicheng hisses. “Party was boring as fuck, all I did was grab hold of some served chocolates.”

Before Ten handed the bottle of milk to Sicheng, he intentionally seizes the item and lit it on a handful of fire with his powers as a cambion, warming the drink up. He then loosens his grip, letting the fire slowly go out. “Drink this.”   
  
“Thanks.” Sicheng utters, gulping down the drink in an instant.

“Sleep well on my bed as usual, I ain't sleeping tonight. Let's have a chit chat tomorrow. Good night, Cheng.”

“Yeah sure, good night.”

  
  
  
  
  


The morning sun came. Sicheng wakes up with the sunlight scattered on his face, causing him to stir in his sleep and let out an annoyed grunt. It took him a while to get out of bed and adjust himself till he made it to the kitchen where Ten is cooking pancakes.

“Good morning ‘Cheng,” Ten chirps. “Still on the hunt for your real identity, aren't you?”

“Of course, I'd chase it even if it takes me to my grave. I really want my true identity back.”

“Good for you, I managed to catch up to the news,” Ten chuckles. “We'll do it after breakfast.”

Breakfast didn't last long. After eating their pancakes, they scuttle to the living room right away, their dining plates left behind on the table instead of on the sink. Ten sets his laptop on the coffee table and opened it wide before clicking on a video clip online.

“Jaehyun's live on foreign news. He has a press interview at the moment. I suppose you didn't hear, did you?”

Sicheng shakes his head. “I certainly didn't. I'm like in the bottom department anyway so I don't know what really revolves around Jaehyun."

“I get your point. Listen up now,” Ten adjusts the volume enough to be audible for them.

“They're speaking English,” Sicheng groans. “I don't understand anything.”

Sicheng turns to look at Ten and figured he shouldn't be disturbing the other. Ten is closely listening to Jaehyun's responses to the interviewer's interrogations, his hand resting on his chin. He didn't say a word, neither did his eyes take off themselves from the screen. Knowing that demeanor very well, Sicheng didn't speak a word. He knows well a serious Ten is someone you shouldn't disconcert, obviously in deep thoughts.

Ten didn't say anything for a whole five minutes while Sicheng watched along, only observing Jaehyun's expressions rather than listening to his dialogues.

“This interview is mostly about business,” Ten sighs. “It's as if his work is the only thing they're aiming for. According to what I've heard from Johnny, Jaehyun became a workaholic after you broke up.”

“Son of a bitch was trying to distract himself,” Sicheng rolls his eyes. “I don't understand though. I thought Jaehyun wasn't affected by the breakup. After all these centuries he still remembers me? Ten, don't you think it's a bit fishy–”

“Oh my god, here it goes!” Ten squeaks, not really paying attention to what Sicheng had just said.

_ “Which is more important to you? Work or love?” _

_ “I always try to balance both, but if I have to choose one, I'd choose work.” _

_ “Still a romantic guy, Mr. Jung,”  _ the interviewer comments, giggling along with Jaehyun. _ “Speaking of romance, is there anything you want to share with us about your past loves?” _

_ “To be honest, I do. I only had one past relationship. He's cool, considerate of people and puts my health beyond everything. He's amazing, but I think I'm happy with my love life right now, Doyoung is keeping me in company. In spite of that, I'll never forget the memories we had together. All I hope for him is happiness, and I'd be glad to know if he's doing alright at the moment.” _

Ten gasps. Sicheng glances at Ten in confusion. “What did he say?”

“He says you're cool, amazing, literally he just complimented you! He even said he only had one ex before and it should be no one other than you, Sicheng! It's quite sad he called you ex and just an ex, nothing more. If you listened closely you'd hear that secretary's name. Ugh, I'm tired of hearing his antics from Johnny.”

“I like it that way,” Sicheng huffs at the mention of an ex, “and it should stay like that forever. He broke my heart, how many times do I have to tell you that? I would rather swim in a pool of sharks than go back to him.”

“I thought this might be helpful so we can at least get something out of his golden mouth,” Ten responds. “Things like this are useful sometimes, and my goal is to use them into an advantage for you to remember your true form.”

“So you mean digging up all of Jaehyun's press interviews and such will help?” Sicheng questions in disbelief. “You're an intellectual, Ten.”

“Don't mention it. We didn't get much information but on the brighter side, you're still working under him. Go fetch the milk before it turns sour!” Ten slaps Sicheng's shoulder in a playful way, the younger not even taken aback by the action.

“I'll try what I can,” Sicheng grouses. “What time is it?”

“Around fifty past eight. Oh, you have to go to work.”

Sicheng facepalms. “Fuck work, I don't feel like breathing the same air as Jaehyun today.”

Ten grins. “And why is that? Did something happen back at the party?”

“It's not a big deal, fuck you demon.”

  
  
  
  
  


“There's a party again in a few days?” Sicheng drops his jaw. “Goodness, why do I feel like a college student instead?”

He and Johnny are currently in the lounge room, the older worker examining documents meant to be given to Sicheng. Johnny had just told him about the masquerade ball that was scheduled in a few days where everyone was expected to come with their best attires, and Sicheng can't help but retort at the fact the company might not be that work-centric at all.

Johnny laugh. “Most parties are annual celebrations in the company calendar, so it's practically a must to enjoy them since we won't feel like partying ever again. You came to this company at the right timing, Mr. Moon, you signed in on the month of party relay.”

Sicheng ‘ooh'es in amazement. “Is it obligatory to attend the masquerade ball?”

“Everyone is invited and it's optional. Are you going, Mr. Moon? It's alright if you don't want to come, the sole purpose of the ball is just a company we're intact with having a big announcement they're hiding up their sleeves.”

Sicheng thinks for a bit.  _ Perhaps I can use the party as an advantage to go on to the next step? Infiltrate and go beyond the limits? Can I do those? _

“Well, Mr. Moon, here are the statistics report of the bank draft. Good luck with work.”

“Thank you,” Sicheng bows. “It's just my third day here and I'm glad I can carry the heaps.”

“We're proud of you no less. You're doing really well.”

The moment Johnny left, Sicheng decides to stay longer in the lounge room, partially since he still wants to feel the luxurious sofa's fabric beneath him. He thought of something to do, so he brings out his phone and dials a number.

“Chittaphon, help me.”

“ _ My real name again? What is such a serious matter you want to talk about? _ ”

“There will be a masquerade ball in a few days. Is there anything I can do to uncover the real Dong Sicheng with the party involved?”

“ _ Oh _ ,” Sicheng heard Ten snickering on the other line. “ _ You might bring the two gang members with you. _ ”

  
  


  
  


  
The tiny chick comes in stumbling inside the restroom, two men already dressed formally following him inside. The older human, Jungwoo, locks the restroom door to make sure no one gets in.   


  
The chick, who Sicheng is in a different form, chirps out loud. Jungwoo only rolls his eyes before throwing his fancy suit and mask at the small being as if he understood what  Sicheng had just said in animal language.   


  
"Hurry up, we can't be with you all night. Yukhei and I still have an assassination to do and my impatience is eating me out."   


  
Within a minute, the chick finally transformed to its human form, the hair gradually turning from bright yellow to flaming red. A naked Sicheng in the body of Moon Taeil was now in sight, his body covered with Jungwoo's suit.   


  
"As Jungwoo said, we're in a hurry. You see, our plates are full at the moment yet we still decided to help you with your silly game," Yukhei mocks. Sicheng gave him the finger before dashing inside a vacant cubicle, dragging Jungwoo's suit and his mask along.   


  
"Hey! Take good care of my suit, that's part of Window 00's SS18 Collection and I bought that for dollars!"   


  
"I don't care about you and your rich crackass, Junghoe!" Sicheng's voice reverberates throughout the restroom, and Yukhei could only calm down the other boy who seemed very frustrated.   


  
“ You ungrateful Bitcheng." Jungwoo hisses.   
  
  


  
  
"Was I late? I'm really sorry," Sicheng bows apologetically to Johnny, who was busy fetching snacks on the food counter.

  
"Late? No, not really.”

“Oh thank god." Sicheng sighs in relief.

“Your suit looks magnificent tonight.” Johnny had a huge grin on his face. “You look unrecognizable with your fancy mask.”

“Well, I was planning to be unrecognizable all night long.”

"Damn big mood. Fame sucks." Johnny lets out a low laugh. “By the way, is it alright to leave you here? I have some matters to discuss with a few foreign businessmen.”

“Of course, thank you for sharing your time with me,” Sicheng bows as Johnny waltzes out of his sight. When Johnny was gone, Sicheng turns to the entrance door where Yukhei was waiting as they met through eye contact. Getting the signal, Sicheng approaches the taller male and away from inside the venue they speeded. Jungwoo greeted them on their way outside.

“Attendance checked. Johnny now knows I came to the party.” Sicheng notes, panting to catch onto his breath.

“Alright, that's good. You two have to go to building and invade the CEO's office,” Jungwoo instructs. "Now."

Sicheng's lips tug upright to a smug smirk. “I can't believe we're really listening to Ten's idea.”

“He has the wildest ideas. We have no choice but to oblige,” Yukhei chuckles to himself. "It's the Ten way, it's Ten's world and we're all just living in it."

“Hurry up,” Jungwoo urges. “I'll go inside to keep an eye on Jung Jaehyun and distract him if ever needed. He won't recognize me in this flashy mask.”   
  
Sicheng scrunches his nose. “Damn, Jungwoo, I owe you my life.”

Jungwoo sticks out his tongue. “Treat me to French Steak then, Bitcheng.”

  
  
  
  
  


Yukhei and Sicheng rattled along back to the office away from the venue, with Sicheng transformed into a rat while Yukhei turned invisible and used superspeed using his own superpowers as to not let anyone see them sneaking inside the company's building.   


  
Yukhei unlocks the entrance door with just the snap of his fingers, Sicheng still in the form of a rat dashing inside right away. The receptionist, Taeyong, had fallen asleep under Yukhei's spell, but then again Yukhei, of course, didn't forget to block all surveillance cameras on their way before they could even get caught.   


  
Sicheng turns to look at Yukhei despite the latter almost stepping on him due to his small figure. Sicheng bit Yukhei's foot and the younger nodded without wincing at the sharp pain, getting the memo.   


  
"Alright, but be ready for the motion sickness," Yukhei whispers to the tiny animal that hopped on to his palm and climbed right away to his shoulder. "42nd floor you say?"   


  
The rat nods. In a second, black shadows had warped around Yukhei's figure and the next thing Sicheng knew, they've teleported. Not more than a minute later Sicheng felt his furry body tumbling down to a marble floor. Same with Yukhei and his built frame, causing the said man to groan in agony.   


  
"Knew teleporting isn't a good idea," Yukhei grunts, rubbing his buttocks. "Where do we go now?"   


  
The rat doesn't gesture anything, but it scurries off to the left path of the hallway, Yukhei doing nothing but to follow after it. Sicheng halted in front of a two-door entrance that was grandly designed with lavish patterns and heavy steel, much to Yukhei's surprise about the CEO's office.   


  
Another bite on his foot stopped him from further spacing out. Yukhei shakes his head, assuring he was awake, then turns to Sicheng on the floor. The shapeshifter points to the office door right in front of them.   


  
"Oh, should I open this? Is it locked?" Yukhei asks knowing he won't get a verbal answer from his companion, but he does check if the door was latched by trying to push and pull it. "Oh, it's locked. Am I supposed to unlock this?"   


  
He sees the rat rolling his eyes at him.   


  
"Hey brat, I can step on you." Yukhei shots back. Nonetheless, his hand forms into something transparent so he reaches out to Sicheng and let the rat jump onto his palm, an outline now forming on the rat's body. He let the rat go inside the office first by passing through the solid doors unscathed, followed by Yukhei himself.   


  
Inside, Sicheng shapeshifted to a human, getting tired of not being able to speak as an animal. Yukhei frowns upon seeing his form though, now that he shapeshifted into Jungwoo.   


  
"Give me a break from my identity as Moon Taeil, the feeling of being short isn't so good. And Jungwoo has perfect eyesight too," Sicheng fans himself, much to Yukhei rolling his eyes. "Anyway, we're here to investigate, not to argue or what."   


  
"You sound like Jungwoo."   


  
"That's because you're whipped. C'mon, let's look around what my ex has in his office."   


  
Yukhei and Sicheng, now in the form of Jungwoo, wander around the office. The walls are plain and there is only one bulletin board attached to it, where the calendar and important documents were pinned. His executive desk wasn't so bad either, being a silver-colored polished wood with only a desk lamp and laptop above it. The shelves were situated on the side of the room so they had less attention upon one's entrance, but seeing how it was neat and clean it gained Sicheng's attention.   


  
"Does he even work here every day? Looks like not, but then again he's your ex, Sicheng. I know you wouldn't want to date a dirty person."   


  
"He's a very organized businessman," Sicheng answers. "This office is really the Jaehyun style."   


  
Yukhei rummages with the drawers under the executive desk whilst Sicheng opened the laptop.   


  
"Damn, his laptop has a password," Sicheng groans. He typed the first thing that came to his mind, and to his surprise it had him get past the security of Jaehyun's device. "I knew it. Kim fucking Dongyoung. His password is kimdongyoung. I'm not even gonna ask."   


  
"What do you know anyway? Who knows if he's just pretending to love him or not. I mean, they barely show off their relationship and use business as an excuse."   


  
"I can see Ten has possessed you." Sicheng clicks his tongue.   


  
"I thought we were to not involve others in this mission, why are we talking about Ten and the secretary now?" Yukhei mocks. "Oh, here's the CEO's record book or something. I don't know, you check it out."   


  
"I gladly will." Sicheng wears a small grin as Yukhei hands him the record book he got out of one of the drawers, the latter finished with checking out all the drawers but the last. "Check out the shelves after you're finished."   


  
Yukhei then fumbles with the bottom drawer, sliding it with ease. He discerns the items inside were not much of a surprise, but one thing did catch Yukhei's attention.   


  
"Sicheng?" The human calls, pulling the item out of the drawer into view. "What is this thing?"    
  


To say the shapeshifter didn't drop his jaw would be a lie.

  
"What do you mean what is that?" Sicheng gasps. "T-that's mine. That's my bracelet."   


  
Yukhei shuts his mouth, not wanting to trigger Sicheng or anything. He knows how the elder can vulnerably get when he's emotional, so it was better that he didn't try anything and bitch around. It wasn't the right time, now that they're still in a risky mission and could get caught at any moment breaking inside the CEO's office, not to mention when Jaehyun is a whole vampire breed.   


  
A tear has threatened to fall from Sicheng's eye, though the shapeshifter held it back and stared at the golden bracelet Yukhei had handed to him.   


  
"Uh, Yukhei?" Yukhei turns, closing the bottom drawer. "Can you make a duplicate of this whole journal? I'm just going to get... Fresh air. You can check out the laptop and shelves too."   


  
"Sure, leave everything to me." Yukhei gives him a small smile and went into working. On the other hand Sicheng waltzes to the balcony, the bracelet embraced by his (more like Jungwoo's) delicate fingers.   


  
Sicheng eyed the jewelry, something that was a huge part of his past. It is a piece of normal jewelry with just steel colored gold, but what made it meaningful for Sicheng were the beads with his initials carved on them. Jaehyun had given it to him while they were out on a night date, but Sicheng threw it one day at the river after breaking their relationship. Jaehyun must've picked it up by power, but never returned it due to their dramatic breakup and the way they cut off ties from each other.   


  
The memory brings a tear to Sicheng's eye, and another, and another until he was now sobbing. He went back inside with a bloated face and red eyes, not really caring about how he was crying just minutes ago.    


  
"There's not much in his laptop, I believe it's strictly for business only," Yukhei renders, closing down the gadget. "And I don't think we still have to snoop around his shelves."   


  
"Is the journal replica done?"   


  
"Yes. It's this one." Yukhei points to the black notebook laid on the desk beside the laptop. "I've placed the original one back in its proper place, which is on the top drawer as to not draw something suspicious from Jaehyun now that we're actually messing around his private office. Say, what about I make a replica of that bracelet too in just one clap?"   


  
"No." Sicheng shakes his head in disapproval. "I don't need a copy of this accessory. It belongs to Jaehyun and only Jaehyun."   


  
Sicheng hands back the bracelet to Yukhei, gesturing for the younger to place it back where he found it. Yukhei was hesitant in putting it back inside the bottom drawer, confusion written all over his face. "But the design states everything. 'D.S.C.' It's you, Dong Sicheng, and it's yours."   


  
Sicheng shakes his head again. "Not be too stubborn, Yukhei. I wasn't the one who requested that bracelet to be made nor the one who made it."   


  
Yukhei gives in, slamming the drawer shut with a huff.   


  
"I hate how tonight we're getting away with only this fucking rectangular black notebook," Yukhei carps like a child, but Sicheng couldn't care less. As of tonight, he has two things to overthink.

  
  


  
  
  


It was Mark’s idea for the three of them to gather at the park and aid Sicheng in his needs. Considering that he and Donghyuck are the best duo of all, they figured maybe they’ll be able to help Sicheng with his problems.

Seated on a vacant bench in front of a playground are the three of them, Sicheng being in the middle of the two goofy dudes. As much as Sicheng feels uncomfortable, he assures himself he’ll be alright. He can trust them.

“So what’s the matter?” Donghyuck inquires, breaking the tense atmosphere. “What’s inside that black book? Or should I say black journal? What the hell is that anyway?”

Sicheng takes an exhalation. “Listen here, I have a lot to say so better not interrupt me with nonsense.”

“As you wish,” Mark insists. Donghyuck pinches him on the calf.

“C’mon Mark, you’re living in the modern century now! You’re no longer an apprentice of King Henry or Queen Elizabeth or whatsoever!”

“I was of Queen Marie Antionette, in case you forgot.” Mark snarls.

“Kids, don’t fight or I’ll tell Johnny.” Sicheng warns. “So, where do I start?”

Donghyuck’s eyes twinkled. “Where did you and Yukhei hyung go last night? I was just walking down the lane and came across that, you know, the venue, and I saw Jungwoo hyung inside. Like holy shit, he looks magnificent in his mask and suit.”

“Oh that,” Sicheng sighs. “Long story short, I asked Jungwoo and Yukhei for help. The original plan is to trespass to the CEO’s office, and Yukhei and I just happened to do it with zero difficulties. Jungwoo was just there inside the venue to make sure everyone is distracted and no one goes to the company building. As you can see, Yukhei found this on the CEO’s table. That’s not only that, he also found a bracelet on the bottom drawer. That bracelet happens to be mine, the one I used to wear during our days together.”

“He’s keeping an accessory from centuries ago?” Mark raises an eyebrow. “Wow, Donghyuck and I can’t do that. We always end up losing our stuff throughout the years.” Donghyuck snorts, seeing as there is no room for him to argue.

“I’m a busy intern. So I’m gonna have to ask you two a favor. Can you analyze this notebook and see if there’s anything you can find inside? Tell me everything you find, please.”

Donghyuck beams. “Finally, an assignment that isn’t related to school!”

Mark exhales with a smile. “Roger, sir.”

“Oh, and another thing. Both of you aren’t failing a class, are you?”

Mark and Donghyuck shake their heads in sync. “No, we aren’t!”

  
  
  
  
  


“ _ What?!” _

Sicheng whistles with his phone by his ear, walking down the streets in the midst of the young night. “What’s the shock about it?”

“ _ What do you mean what’s the shock?! So you’re telling us you want us to brew you a Veritaserum?!” _

“Hello, that’s a very essential potion as what I’ve heard from Yuta. There’s no harm in doing it, right?”

Kun sighs from the other line. “ _ Actually there is. The ingredients are very rare to find but fine! It’s for you and on par with your Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission, I get it. You’re desperate for our help. _ ”

“So you’re going to do it?”

“ _ I’ll still see about that. I’ll contact you if any means.” _

“Thanks, tell this to Yuta too! Gotta hang up now, bye!”

Sicheng kicks a rock in excitement, almost crashing a window of a closed shop nearby as soon as the call ended. Before Sicheng could slide his phone back in his pocket, another incoming call immediately followed. Seeing the caller ID, he picks up and answers right away.

“Good evening Secretary Kim, or should I say good afternoon? Is there anything you need?”

“ _ I’m sorry to bring the sudden favor to you, Mr. Moon. But can you take care of Jaehyun in the meantime? I’m overseas to handle the reception at the German embassy without any issues, so I couldn’t check up on him. I’m assuming he indulged himself too much on alcohol and didn’t pick up any of my calls. I tracked his phone down and he’s in the nearest bar to the company building. Please fetch him safe and bring him home. I’ll text you his driver’s number.” _

His whole body ran cold.  _ Okay, but what kind of secretary will be away from their boss? _

“Understood, Mr. Kim.”

It doesn’t take long for Sicheng to hurry back to the company building, pass by it and go to the bar. Sicheng was too lazy to even shapeshift, so convincing the security guard was a lot of sweat and effort. In the end, Sicheng had managed to convince him that he was sent by an agent from the famous brand company and showed him his valid ID as an employee. He pushes himself through the sea of drunk people dancing till he approaches a couch where he sensed Jaehyun could be.

And indeed he sees a passed out Jaehyun seated so ‘ungentlemanly’ on the couch. His body took the whole space of the furniture, his feet hanging over the arm of the couch with his hand numb off it. His hair is disheveled and his shirt had wet splotches on it, which Sicheng had assumed were unintended drops of his alcoholic drink mixed with sweat. Sicheng crinkles his face in disgust. Jaehyun didn’t look presentable in his state.

Sicheng heaves a sigh as he squats down to carry Jaehyun over his shoulder. Jaehyun is quite heavy, but Sicheng endures for more and unearths his phone from his pocket, immediately dialing the driver’s number Doyoung had sent him a few minutes ago.

The driver doesn’t take too long to arrive, and neither does the ride home last long. Silence looms over them the whole car ride that the only thing you could hear is the rev of the engine and Jaehyun drunk sleep-talking about Doyoung. The moment they arrived home, the driver, whose name turns out to be Hansol, offered to carry Jaehyun as per concern towards Sicheng’s weak strength.

Sicheng shakes his head, waving off his hand. “I’m not weak, don’t worry. I get it that I’m short in height, but strength is always in my veins.”

Hansol chortles. “Sure if you can. His room is on the second floor, right beneath the attic.”

“Noted,” Sicheng insists, forcing a smile to Hansol. He was in the middle of unlatching the door to Jaehyun’s luxury house using the keys he stole from inside his pockets when Hansol spoke again.

“Oh, but Mr. Kim would be happier if you stay for the night.”

Sicheng doesn’t answer and went straight to Jaehyun’s room. It’s still the same house he has for the past centuries, so Sicheng is familiar with everything.

Jaehyun pukes on his pricey office coat, much to Sicheng’s distaste. However, Sicheng didn’t hesitate to wash his coat, undress him, and bathe him clean. He tucks Jaehyun to bed before heading off to the living room to sleep on the carpet. He’d feel too guilty to sleep on any of the beds or sofas in the house without any permission.

By the time the sun went up, a call from Yuta was what woke Sicheng up from his excruciating slumber.

“What do you need?” Sicheng hisses angrily, enraged that his sleep didn't last long. Yuta can sense from the other line that Sicheng sounds like he's about to blow a gasket.

“ _ Mind you, Kun has been working on your veritaserum overnight. Be grateful,” _ Yuta remarks. Sicheng jolts out of the carpet, carding his fingers through his disheveled hair.

“He did what now?”

“ _ You heard me. Do you know Harry Potter? They have that spell Accio, right? Kun’s about to Accio the potion vial to your hands.” _

Sicheng rolls his eyes. “You could’ve just said he’s going to teleport the item to me. You’re making my head ache and it’s too early in the morning.”

Yuta cackles. “ _ Sorry not sorry. I’ll hang up now, have a good day!” _

Sicheng throws his phone across the living room, giving not a care if a crack had formed on the screen. Before he could even card his fingers through his disheveled red hair, his hand felt full and there, he realizes, the vial had been teleported to his hand. Sicheng is supposed to feel stressed and burdened with the sudden task he’s about to do right after waking up early in the morning. But upon an idea popping in his head as if a light bulb appeared above his hair, he hops out of the carpet and darts to the living room with a devilish grin plastered on his bloated face.

He opens the cupboards in the kitchen, not surprised to see numerous hangover cures and medicines stored in there. He grabs the closest one and snatched a bowl and glass from the other side of the sink. Then, he began preparing the cure for Jaehyun. A glass of lukewarm water, a pack of pills to pop from, and a soup he’s about to cook: Sicheng thinks they’re great for Jaehyun’s morning, but with a mixture of the veritaserum.

By the time he was finished, he enters Jaehyun’s room with the tray, relieved to see the CEO has regained his consciousness. He settles down the tray on the bed table in front of Jaehyun, who grunts as he sat up and leaned against the headboard. Jaehyun squints at him and Sicheng assumes it’s because of blurry vision as part of the hangover.

“Who are you? Housekeeping?”

“No, I’m the newest intern in the bottom department.”

“O-Oh,” Jaehyun croaks. Sicheng offers the glass of water to him with much concern. Jaehyun gratefully takes it and downs four gulps. He hands the glass back to Sicheng, who in turn places it back to the tray. Sicheng worriedly glances at him.

“You okay, sir? Anything to spill? Bottling it all up will only worsen your headache, so feel free to dump me your thoughts. Anything, really.” Sicheng takes the opportunity, breathing in. The effects should take in now. They should. The potion should take in now. He waits for a good five seconds filled with nothing but silence before taking an exhalation once again.

“Have you ever been to a relationship before? What did your ex look like? Was he handsome?” 

Jaehyun narrows an eyebrow. “How’d you know it’s a he?”

“Everyone knows you’re gay. You’re publicly dating your secretary.”

“Oh right.”

Sicheng urges, “so? Anything about your ex?”

Jaehyun pauses. “Should I really tell?”

Sicheng only nodded in response. Heaving a sigh, Jaehyun stares off into space. Morning Jaehyun is surely something else, but having consumed veritaserum is nowhere near that. In fact, Sicheng could comment he actually looks miserable in his state. Jaehyun resumed, but with a hand clutching his chest.

“He was beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than Doyoung. He has a delicate frame, pretty facial features. You have no idea, he’s the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my whole life. Pointy ear, protruding eyes, perfect nose. You name it all. He has a beautiful skin tone too, his melanin… I can’t even describe, oh my god.”

For a moment there did Sicheng almost thought he had been brought off to outer space. Hearing those come out of Jaehyun’s mouth was utterly unbelievable. Indeed, Sicheng was caught off guard, and no words were able to roll off his tongue. Oh no, his tongue is tied in fear.

“Don’t get me started with his body,” Jaehyun shook his head. “Wait, as if I would hold it back. Well, he’s average in height, his skin is smooth, bones shaping his figure so flawlessly. His collarbone, broad shoulders, fragile hands-”

“Sir, I suggest you take rest,” Sicheng interrupts, a friendly smile displayed on his face. “You can reheat the soup later. I need to go to work.”

“Do what you want.” Jaehyun waves off, a bit drunkenly. He pops a pill into his mouth and fixes the blanket, pulling it over him as he indulges himself back in the white sheets of a silky duvet. The moment Jaehyun has closed his eyes, Sicheng sighs in relief and exited out his room. He heads off to the door leading out the house. Yet before he could grab hold of the doorknob, the door opened from outside first with the aid of a key. The door now swung open, Sicheng meets face-to-face with a male now also looking up to him in surprise.

Oh great, just fucking great. It’s Jung Jaemin.

Sicheng analyzes him from head to toe, cringing in disgust at the sight of him. Jaemin surely wasn’t presentable, and Sicheng believes he walked through the streets in this unmannerly state, much to his cringe.

Jaemin’s hair is bedraggled, his tie is loosely tied around his neck, and his face is so swollen from sleep. His suit coat was hanging off his shoulder and missing a button, and even his belt was unsecured around his waist, causing his pants to look slanted. His white business shirt is stained with what seemed like alcohol as far as Sicheng could smell, and oh.

He’s so disgusted.

Jaemin tilts his head at him. “You are?”

“Moon Taeil of new internship,” Sicheng automatically introduces. “You are the CEO’s brother, I suppose?”

“Yeah, Jung Jaemin. That’s me,” he replies with a slight chuckle. He enters the house, almost tripping on air because of his shoe’s broken heel. With fast reflexes, Sicheng grabs him by the shoulder and had the young worker’s arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“Gee thanks.”

“No problem. I think I’m used to helping out drunk people.”

“Jeez, I’m not drunk!” Jaemin whines childishly. “Anyways, I have heard a lot about you from Jeno and the marketing department. You look really cool up close.”

“Thanks, having red hair is still a pet peeve to me,” Sicheng giggles, leading Jaemin to the couch. The younger man perches down on the comfortable furniture and leans back to give his back a rest.

“With all due respect, it suits you!” Jaemin’s eyes glows in delight before they switched back quickly to normal. “What were you here for though? Was it… because of Jaehyun hyung?”

Streaks of blush run up to Sicheng’s cheeks. “No– I mean, yeah, but it was only because he was drunk off his ass last night that Doyoung really had to call me in the middle of the night to look over him.”

“You and Jaehyun hyung match, no?” Jaemin taunts.

Sicheng groans. “Get some rest. You’re pretty drunk.”

“I said I’m not drunk!”

“What is 7 times 9?”

“79.”

“Wrong. Go to sleep, drunk boy. You should not be going to work when you are a CIO and can’t solve a simple math equation. God, you are so different contrasting to your brother, except for your untidiness when it comes to appearance after drinking.”

“God, could you stop comparing me to him? People do it too and I get ticked off very often.”

Sicheng winks, “sure, but if you rest. Bye, I’ll be out.”

  
  
  
  
  


Sicheng arrives at Ten’s apartment, still on his office suit he wore last night. A single knock and the door slides open, a gentle smile welcoming Sicheng.

“Hey there,” Ten salutes. “Where were you last night? I called you several times yet you didn’t answer.”

“I was asleep,” the shapeshifter hisses.

“Where did you sleep then?”

“At a house.”

“Whose house?”

Sicheng grouses. “Fuck you. It’s Jaehyun’s.”

Ten slams the door. “ _ What _ ?”

“You heard me.”

Ten tilts his head in confusion, pulling Sicheng to the living room. “’Cheng, explain.”

“He… Doyoung is overseas and he just, you know, called me out of nowhere to take care of Jaehyun because he’s drunk. And yeah, I took him home and I slept at his house because it’s pretty late.”

Ten shots him a mischievous grin. “Was there anything useful you found at his house?”

“Uh, nothing really,” Sicheng answers. “But I did tell Kun to make me a veritaserum and Yuta gave it to me this morning.”

“My demonic instincts can tell that you poured it on a hangover treatment meal. Well, did you even make him a treatment?”

“Indeed,” Sicheng grimaces. “Being the concerned intern I am, I did my off-business related job and made him soup. The veritaserum was all over them and also on the glass of water, and Jaehyun drank that.”

“Did he spill anything? Anything useful?”

“That’s where it gets interesting,” Sicheng holds up his index finger. “So he said I–”

“Wait, wait! I want to see him do it! Hey, you can do that spell in Harry Potter right? That… That kind of spell, used to review memories. Like, Dumbledore’s Pensieve.”

“Oh,” Sicheng responds. “Be lucky I have ancestry from fairies.”

In an instant, Sicheng places his finger on his side forehead, a bit distant from his eye. He shuts his eyes close, narrowing his eyebrows in full concentration. After a few seconds, he retracts his finger, a silvery substance that appears to be a cloudy gas tailing along. Sicheng shoos it onto the air, the gas expanding till it was wide enough to view the memory. The demon gasps in awe, his orbs twinkling in delight. The memory is viewed from a non-participant, third-person point of view. The first scene is when Sicheng handed the glass of water to Jaehyun.

“ _ Have you ever been to a relationship before? What did your ex look like? Was he handsome?” _

“ _ How’d you know it’s a he?” _

“ _ Everyone knows you’re gay. You’re publicly dating your secretary.” _

“ _ Oh right.” _

Ten squints. “Is he for real?”

“I was assuming he hasn’t recovered from the hangover.” Sicheng remarks.

“Point taken. He looks seconds away from having a concussion.”

“He looks like he has a concussion.” Retorts Sicheng.

Ten snorts.

“ _ So? Anything about your ex?” _

“ _ Should I really tell it?” _

“…  _ He was beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than Doyoung. He has a delicate frame, pretty facial features. You have no idea, he’s the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my whole life. Pointy ear, protruding eyes, perfect nose. You name it all. He has a beautiful skin tone too, his melanin… I can’t even describe, oh my god. Don’t get me started with his body. Wait, as if I would hold it back. Well, he’s average in height, his skin is smooth, bones shaping his figure so flawlessly. His collarbone, broad shoulders, fragile hands–” _

“ _ Sir, I suggest you take a rest. You can reheat the soup later. I need to go to work.” _

“ _ Do what you want.” _

Ten had a gleaming smile plastered on his face. “You’re one step closer, ‘Cheng! Now that you’ve heard about your features, the last thing you need to discover is your exact image!”

“But how will I do that?”

“Shapeshift into Doyoung.”

“What? No,” Sicheng creases his eyebrows. “I’ll never do that risky shit again.”

“C’mon now, you did get hit by a truck, but life is life! Who knows, you and Jaehyun might even go back together now that he is your main focus.”

“He’s my main focus so I could remember my true form.” Sicheng argues.

“I’m just saying.” Ten rolls his eyes.

“Ten, I think you need some sleep.”

“Demons never sleep!”

  
  
  
  
  


After Sicheng showered and got changed at Ten’s house, the first thing he hears at his job is Johnny telling him to look for a file buried in the room of catalogs. Johnny reassured him his department needed to see the old analysis of the company’s financial risks as the CFO, but sometimes, Sicheng wondered why his internship is getting nowhere and is becoming reliable even just as a mere intern. And most of all, what on earth did Johnny have that made Ten fall for him?

Pulling his red hair in frustration, Sicheng grunts and muddled through the numerous folders lined up in the first drawer. “Jesus Christ, why am I doing this? It’s the financial department’s job for Pete’s sake!”

He looks through the files, documentation, everything. There was nothing related to what Johnny had said, and so Sicheng discovered he was looking through peculiar files instead. Peculiar indeed, if he would comment on it, for he had realized he’s going through the CEO’s files.

“Oh shit,” Sicheng mumbles to himself. “I’m on the wrong column of catalog drawers… I guess.”

Sicheng decides this is his opportunity to sneak and try to find out something. He closes a drawer full of nothing but contracts signed by Jung Jaehyun. He opens every other drawer on the column, and when he found nothing useful, all that was left was the top drawer. Sicheng in his Moon Taeil form won’t be able to reach it at such a short height, much to his dismay.

“I have no choice,” he sighs, before shapeshifting to a rat in less than a second. He climbs up to the nearest desk and hops on top of the highest drawer, opening it with ease even with his tiny paws. To his surprise, it had nothing, no files, no folders, but one black book that seemed hardbound. One plate was glued on the cover, with white Korean characters on it forming a single word. Records, it said, and the curiosity in Sicheng jolts.

Sicheng, still in his rat form, flips through the pages. It may have not been Jaehyun’s, for there were pages not of his doing. Rather, it seems like it belonged to an old officer of his. Sicheng flipped once more and saw a sticky note on the corner, along with a pinned picture on it. It was a giddy handwriting, not really Jaehyun’s at all. He began to read, and as if a wave of realization washed over him, it was clear. The hints were on the picture.

_ Mr. Jung has a date with his boyfriend so I had to move his meeting with the vice chairman. Oh by the way, his boyfriend is so cool! He also looks pretty with those alluring details on his face, and he has a pointed ear too! I wish I can date him but sadly I can’t and never can :( He is the boss’ property :( _

It was Jaehyun’s secretary back then when they were still together. Together, before Doyoung came into the picture.

  
  
  
  
  


Sicheng stayed behind till the darkest of the night. He crammed and abandoned the pile of paperworks and stamps on his cubicle, his focus fixated on changing his skin color according to what he had read in the unknown secretary’s record book. Sicheng is the only person present in the dimly lit office at the moment, with the pitch black skies from outside enough to prove that everyone had come home at this late hour.

Only when someone's footsteps resonated throughout the office did Sicheng jumped from his seat, his heart rummaging in his chest. He turns around, and if this was a comical sitcom, Sicheng's jaw would've dropped to the floor in an instant. Jung Jaehyun, CEO of Seoul Assemblage, lover to a renowned journalist and secretary Kim Dongyoung, and most importantly Sicheng's ex-boyfriend, is staring at him from a distance. He had to blink twice to confirm for himself that he definitely wasn’t dreaming, and when he does, he scrambles to his feet and gulps, bowing down to the CEO as a sign of respect.

“I’m sorry sir. I was slacking off.”

“Wait, no, not that. I understand why you have to stay behind this late. I meant to ask what were you doing, and what’s with the different skin color on your wrist? You can’t possibly get a sunburn in this kind of season.”

“Ah this,” Sicheng hitches his breath. “Uh, I’m actually a shapeshifter. I hope you don’t mind my breed.”

Not taken aback in the slightest, Jaehyun shakes his head. “Nonsense. Why would I mind? I met thousands of shapeshifters before you. Finish all paperworks for today.”

“Yes sir.”

By the time Jaehyun walked out, Sicheng dropped back to his desk, a pile of paperworks resting beneath his chin. He’s tired, he has a lot to finish, yet at the same time he can’t seem to restrain himself from feeding off desire and continue to attempt in discovering his true form. Fatigue is streaming through his entire being, the urge to rest wanting to burst out of his chest. Sicheng can’t sleep here in the office, or else he’ll worry the shit out of Ten. Then again, he doesn’t want to wake up with an unfinished mountain of files and documents and give his fellow interns a shock when they see him looking haggard upon entering the office the next morning. Sighing, Sicheng stares blankly at the folders. A good decade of seconds passed until he proceeded to work again and shuffle through the folders.

It was past two in the morning when Sicheng struggled to get up from his seat, grabbed his suitcase and coat then ran out of the office. The skies were pitch black as ever, and the fact he had to walk home alone at such a godly hour didn’t have him fazed in the littlest bit. However, the way he walks alone, it’s as if he’s seeking for a company just by looking at the blocks arranged on the pavement with the streetlights illuminating them. It was lonely, and somehow, it feels nostalgic.

Nostalgic. Sicheng wonders how it is nostalgic, and that’s when it hits him. He is standing on the center of a park at the moment, with the majestically carved fountain located not far from him. It’s the same park where he and Jaehyun used to go to during their lovesick days, and it pains Sicheng even more to know that this place has never been renovated ever since.

The wind gushes against him like a gentle whisper. Sicheng turns around to glance at the vacant bench, clenching his left chest. He could see Jaehyun and himself laughing together while seated on the bench together, sweetly hand-in-hand. It’s like a monochrome film, a vague memory still intact with Sicheng’s damaged brain, dating back centuries ago. It may be blurry, but the way they talked, the way they cannot even take their eyes off each other, the way Sicheng clung onto Jaehyun’s arm; it’s as if they’re teens whipped for each other, romantically blinded by no other than everlasting love. But the thing is it was not an everlasting love to begin with. It never was.

  
  
  
  
  


“Is work going well?”

“Yeah,” Sicheng answers to the phone. “Why did you call me?”

“ _ I wanted to know if you’re busy or not,” _ Ten mentions from the other line, sighing.  _ “Kun received a report from Renjun’s art school and was told that the little twink thrashed his enemy’s paintings. Kun couldn’t make it to the meeting with the principal, and I was wondering if you can on behalf of his place as Renjun’s legal guardian.” _

“What,” Sicheng gasps. “Is he for real? Jesus, Ten, I don’t think I can’t make it either. I’m packed today. Why wouldn’t you do it yourself?”

“ _ Our boss is super mad today, no one gets to go home unless paperworks and editings are done!” _ Ten frantically yells.  _ “Renjun is your cousin, right? I think you have the real responsibility here, Mr. Dong Sicheng.” _

“Hey now, I’m at the office. Don’t call me that name.”

“ _ Well okay Taeil, who do I have to call now? I heard Renjun’s school is pretty strict.” _

“I don’t know, maybe call Yukhei or Jungwoo. They have nothing to do in broad daylight after all but break their bed.”

“ _ Oh right, I nearly forgot about those two,” _ Ten groans.  _ “Alright, I’ll see if they’re available. Good luck with work and also your Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission.” _

“Shut up! Kun said the same thing!”

“ _ Well then, bye bye ‘Cheng!” _

Before Sicheng could even yell back at him, Ten ends the call and Sicheng didn’t hesitate to toss his phone to his desk piled with envelopes and folder. He cards his fingers through his hair as a habit, till he had to fix it back when the production manager walked in their wide office of interns.

“Oh hello, Mr. Moon,” Hendery acknowledges. Sicheng stood up to bow, and Hendery did the same with a dimpled smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Wong,” Sicheng greets back as Hendery headed to the photocopy machine on the corner.

“Sorry for the bother, the photocopy machine in my department is broken.” Hendery let out a low giggle.

“Ah, is that so? I hope it can be fixed soon.”

“Right, having to walk out of my office from time to time can be a pain in the ass,” Hendery laughs, arranging the papers on the machine before pressing the button. “Please don’t forget, Mr. Moon. We have a meeting with the executives after lunch.”

“Aw shucks, I completely forgot about that,” Sicheng whines, stretching his arms. “Okay then, I’ll prepare for the meeting.”   
  
Before Hendery walks out, Sicheng waves off at him and assured the younger boy he'll make sure to attend. Sicheng then proceeds to his own work cubicle and focused on his attempt to shapeshift.

  
To tell the truth, Sicheng believes he won't be seen because he is at the far corner of the room anyway, so he did it in an instant. A steam went out of his skin as he tried to change his skin color. Sicheng grunts at the consistent fatigue growing heavier each minute in his veins.

  
"Oh? Mr. Moon?"

  
Sicheng collapses on his table and gave up, his skin color changing back to normal. He reels back in shock upon hearing the voice and sat upright to look like a real businessman, much to the other's wonder.

  
"Yes," Sicheng shifts his eyes down to the worker's name plate attached to his left chest. "Mr. Liu? How can I help?"

  
The Liu boy has a wide smile on his face, which confused Sicheng. "Mr. Moon, I didn't know you were part of the supernatural breeds too! You're a shapeshifter?"

  
"Uh," Sicheng staggers. "Yeah, I am."

  
"Oh my god, I'm a shapeshifter too! I mean I'm a half, but that's not it! I'm happy to have found a pal who's the same breed as me!"

  
"Oh, I agree," Sicheng chuckles. "Shapeshifters are rare."

  
"Did I make you uncomfortable? I'm sorry, oh god I haven't even introduced myself yet. I'm Liu Yangyang, Marketing Manager. I'm half-Chinese and half-German, and also a half-shapeshifter and half-elf."

  
Sicheng internally frowns at the mention of the marketing department. He wasn't still over that iconic time when Doyoung appointed him to do something that was supposed to be the marketing department's job.

  
"Nice to meet you," Sicheng holds out his hand for the younger shapeshifter to shake, and so he did. "I bet you've heard of me."

  
"Yes I did, now that I know you're another shapeshifter blending among us, oh my god, you're my idol! The only news I heard about you were the fact that the secretary keeps overworking you for some reason, and how everyone looks up to you because you gained Secretary Kim's trust. You truly are my idol and I'll work harder with you as my greatest inspiration."

  
Sicheng chuckles at the way Yangyang looked at him as if there were sparkles in his eyes. "It's an honor to be. Thank you so much, I expected to be hidden in the shadows and be another infamous worker when I first came here in the office. I didn't know this would be the outcome of my work efficiency."

  
"Well, you deserve it!" Yangyang's bubbly smile made Sicheng smile too, till he remembered something. "Uh oh, I approached you because of this file. I was told that you need to proofread it or something, then bring it to the environmental manager. It is such a pleasure to meet someone like you today, Mr. Moon! You're amazing, I hope you stick to your mind! I have to go now if you don't mind."

  
"Thank you for making my day too, Mr. Liu."

  
Yangyang skips away as if he was a high school girl walking happily to her next class after confessing to her crush, and Sicheng can't help but find it adorable.

  
"I have an image to keep in this company now huh," Sicheng mutters to himself, opening the file record Yangyang had given him. "I was already popular before I knew it myself? Weird."

After Sicheng finished checking the graphics charts of the office's environment such as the amount of water used in a week, he lazily stood up from his desk and headed to where the environmental manager's office was. He isn't surprised his office was by the garden.

  
Sicheng knocks at the door, stepping inside when he heard a soft 'come in'. He closes the door behind him and turns to the manager arranging his stuffs on his office desk, much to Sicheng's dismay.

  
"I can't believe we saw each other again," Sicheng shakes his head disapprovingly.

  
"You're Dong Sicheng, aren't you? I heard about your tragic situation from Kun and Yukhei." Xiao De Jun snickers, causing Sicheng to roll his eyes. "How come you forgot your own true form just because of amnesia? Man, sucks to be you."

  
"Don't call me that name, you ugly vampire."

  
"I'm not ugly! I have ¼ fairy blood for a reason!"

  
"Doesn't matter." Sicheng shots back. "Here, Mr. Liu gave me this. Nice balancing the quality control of this whole 50 feet building with more than 30 floors."

  
"Thank you, I love my job more than anything else."

  
"Bet you only volunteered to be an environmental manager because you're obsessed with the green color of plants."

  
"And your point, Mr. Dong?"   
  
Sicheng fumes, "I swear to Satan if you blow my cover–"

  
"Fine, let's drop it but only if buy me my lunch, Sicheng ge." 

  
"Listen here, I prefer being called Moon Taeil as long as we're in this building–"

  
"Okay, Moon Taeil, get me my lunch."

  
  


  
  
  
Sicheng walks in the cafeteria, grumbling to himself as he made his way to the counter.  _ Ugh, fuck that Xiao Jun guy! He could've gotten his lunch himself but instead had the nerve to boss me around and send me here with a silly excuse of him having to take care of the company garden and water the tomatoes. Pfft, as if he's really doing that, bet he's busy talking to his plants. _   


  
Sicheng rolls his eyes, waiting in line. He is bored at the moment, his impatience almost devouring him until he overhears two familiar people lined up behind him.   


  
"Are you even gonna treat me right? Ew, I would hate to date someone as greasy as you."   


  
Sicheng holds back a laugh.  _ I can't believe I heard that from Jeno. _   


  
"Excuse you, I'm a gentleman! I treat you to lunch everyday with my paycheck! I cuddle with you every night to shoo away your nightmares! I bring you to dates and buy you the game consoles you want since you said your brother won't buy them for you! What else do you need? What else do I have to do to make you feel contented?"   


  
"Well, you see, I'm afraid."   


  
Sicheng furrows his eyebrows at what Jeno, who was just behind him, confesses without bluffing.   


  
The other man who Sicheng certainly guessed was no other than Na Jaemin, whines. "Whyyyy?!"   


  
"You're one of the most wanted men in our company. You capture the hearts of many people and flirt with anyone. Perhaps someday you'll be like your brother, who broke up with his ex just to cheat on him with my brother."   


  
_ Wait what. _   


  
"Oh, c'mon!" Jaemin wails. "I'm not like him at all, cheating on one's boyfriend or whatever is not in our bloodline! Jaehyun hyung was just stupid and reckless for breaking up with his ex. Unlike him, I'm loyal to you. I swear on my life."   


  
Sicheng spent a good five seconds not moving forward in line when the person in front of him moved. He was to be addled for longer and freeze in his spot if not for Jeno to recognize him.   


"Mr. Moon? Oh my god, I didn't know you were just in front of me all the time despite your vibrant hair." Jeno gives him a shy smile. "If you heard all Jaemin's complaints, I hope you don't mind about his stubbornness. You see, we're having a friend quarrel. Oh, and you should move forward now." Upon gaining his senses back and registered Jeno's last sentence, he did what he was told to do.   


  
"What friend? We're boyfriends for Pete's sake!" Jaemin grizzles. Jeno slaps his shoulder in response, still wearing a smile directed to Sicheng. Jaemin winces at the pain, but when he realized Sicheng was in front of them the whole time, he composed himself and bowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Moon. I'll make sure you don't witness or hear that kind of behavior for me again."   


  
"It's okay, I understand young love would be so complicated." Sicheng shots them a friendly grin. "Take all the time to quarrel, but don't take it too far or else one would break down. Limit yourself into quarreling; in less than 24 hours from now on, you should be in good terms. Be strict with yourselves. If you exceed the limit, then punish whoever was wrong. That way, you'll get a lesson out of it and understand the meaning of the limit. So, take your time to quarrel, understand each other and make up." Sicheng swats his hands as to give himself an ovation, before moving on in front of the corner and orders a meal with green tea flavored desserts.   


  
"Don't you think someone as good-looking and intelligent as Mr. Moon himself is in a relationship?" Jaemin whispers to Jeno, his eyes observing Sicheng's delicate form as the intern took his tray from the server lady. Scratch that, more like Taeil's petite proportion.   


  
"Maybe. Who knows he'd gone through a heartbreak and learned from it." Jeno answers. "Anyhow, I don't want him to experience something as painful as that. He's nice and considerate, he doesn't deserve that at all. Speaking of painful heartbreak, your shitty brother gave that to his ex in the past. That's the reason why I was a bit hesitant when he and Doyoung hyung started dating, like, what if he breaks his heart like he did to his ex? And now you're also dating me and I'm hesitant. You're related to him biologically, so why else would I not be afraid?"   


  
"How dare you badmouth not only my brother but the great CEO of Seoul Assemblage! And you're still bringing up his one and only ex from centuries ago? He's forgotten, who knows that ex of him could be dead by now. Hyung is happy with Doyoung hyung and I see them all lovey-dovey with my own eyes from time to time, so shut your mouth and let me and my hyung live. You keep talking about his flaws but you know what? You don't go on a day without forgetting your ID."   


  
Even if Sicheng didn't have sharp senses like vampires do, he still managed to catch all the young workers had argued over. Surely, this is going to bother him for days.

The last thing he heard from Jaemin offended him so much he could feel the weight on his shoulders. Dead, seriously? Forgotten? Sicheng shook his head, heaving. They don't even know the ex they were talking about was just in front of them at that time.  _ But I understand, I guess. No one in this company knows who I truly am anyway. Who'd want to know the ugly, frail Dong Sicheng? Probably why the fatass replaced me with some much more independent and stronger than me. Sigh, Kim Dongyoung, I wish to be like you. _

  
Sicheng stares at the black screen of his computer in front of him. Seeing Taeil's reflection, he shrugs the thought of and scowls at himself.  _ Why am I even thinking of that? I don't want to go back to that fatass at all, he could spend the rest of his life with Doyoung. I came here to remember who I am, not to hog up someone else's boyfriend. _   


  
That night, Sicheng crashed into Ten's apartment, the latter not minding at all. As soon as the door was swung open, Sicheng dashed in and collapsed on the couch. Ten didn't even have a second to welcome Sicheng at the door.   


  
"Cheng, tell me what's wrong." Ten demands with a concerned voice as he watched Sicheng hitching his own breath and buried his face in his hands, clearly showing stress.   


  
"If you don't want to open up, then it's alright. I'll prepare you some tea."   


  
"No, Ten. I want my shell cracked open to you. And tea? Auto-correct that to wine."   


  
Ten lets out an ugly laugh, before letting Sicheng wobble his way to the living room as he retrieves a bottle of wine from his refrigerator. Ten walks up to the couch opposite the one Sicheng was on, holding wine and two glasses. He sat down with his legs crossed, hands resting on his lap with his fingers together. Sicheng knew that position; as his best friend, no doubt Ten would sit like that whenever he's serious.   


  
"Tell me everything."   


  
Sicheng exhales first. "So, you know Jaemin and Jeno, right?"   


  
"Yeah, the nasty brats of the company as I've heard from Johnny. He gets involved in their shenanigans often, and no matter how much pranks and tricks they've done, John Babes says they would never get fired as long as they're related to the CEO and secretary. So? What about them?"   


  
"They talked about me. I mean, they were bickering about dating each other when Jeno's paranoid about Jaemin cheating on him someday because you know, Jaehyun is his brother and he cheated on me. They kept mentioning his ex this and ex that not knowing I'm literally the ex in disguise standing right in front of them. Jeno's frightened for life Jaemin's gonna be like Jaehyun someday so all I could do was give them a piece of advice and shrug off the thought that I was talked about. Not only that, but apparently Jaemin was so mad because Jeno keeps mentioning the ex so Jaemin was like 'bitch who knows that ex is already dead by now and who even cares about that, it happened centuries ago and the ugly past is meant to be abandoned' and internal me was like '? hoes I'm here but you don't know that' and that's all. Like, was it really a big deal that the fatass left me to the point there are still people who haven't forgotten it? As if my record of being his first and only ex left a big impact on them? There are still many things I haven't uncovered. Ten, help me."

"I think your memory was fragmented from either depression, amnesia or from aging old as an immortal. Do you even know what happened exactly? After you guys broke up, it created a buzz among citizens for Jaehyun was already a famous figure and CEO of his father's company back then, and–”

“Wait, how were people able to believe that Jaehyun is not a long-lasting being that had been sitting on the CEO position ever since then?”

“That’s simple. Mages complied to their wishes of keeping an image of the company. Obviously, witches and wizards rescripted the ancient history of the company recorded in books, newspapers, literally everywhere. That is how not a single soul of a human knows Jaehyun is the CEO of Seoul Assemblage for over centuries now. The records are rephrased and people are deceived that Jaehyun is a living human just like them. His fake biography says it all. Born on February 14, 1997, as if, CEO ever since teen years? As if. The same goes for other companies and anything related to business that has been managed by immortals for a long period of time. You understand, don’t you, Sicheng?”

“Oh.” He says weakly. “Yeah, I get the gist.”

“You really did forget huh,” Ten huffs. “I don’t know if you remember, but that’s literally what Yuta and Kun did to all of us when we were looking for jobs from decade to decade before you got yourself into an accident.”

Sicheng raises an eyebrow with a pout. “I guess we did. I don’t know, amnesia has gotten the best of me.”

“Well, continuing on about what happened between you and Jaehyun, you think it ended like swoosh and bam it’s over when you walked out after having caught Jaehyun making out with Doyoung as if they’ve been the real snoggy couple all along?”

“At least that was what on my memory.”

Ten shakes his head, “listen dude. The day after that, Jaehyun confronted you by the riverside of Bukhan. You kept shoving him away and never gave him the chance to explain himself. That’s not all though; you were a badass bitch as you are right now. You ripped the necklace off your neck, y’know, that one he gave you for your coming of age day. You threw it into the river, watched Jaehyun’s reaction turn into utter devastation, and stormed off.”

“Holy fuck,” Sicheng mutters. “I think I remember now. I… God, I didn’t know I did that.” _And the necklace…_ _Must’ve been the one Yukhei discovered back when we invaded his office for illegal investigation._

“And the news spread like wildfire. Sicheng dearie, you were once popular as Jaehyun’s partner, and practically the whole world knew what happened between the two of you. According to piled newspapers delivered worldwide, you two broke up for unknown reasons, yada yada, and yeah no one told the world what the reason was. Only Doyoung, of course it has to be him, and the people around you.

“When I claimed it created a buzz among citizens, welps, it was a huge talk among them. They made theories on where and why you left, how Jaehyun shifted from a man to another man. Others were chill, but the fact that there were a lot of people who were fond of Jaehyun led the netizens of Seoul to split apart. They solely believed on the mere belief that Jaehyun brought luck just because he was an excellent CEO of his business, so as if the general public was his mother, they decided on which one of you is much worthy of and for Jaehyun. It almost led a rebellion, so everyone was scared and felt threatened. Then sometime later, ugh, saying this makes me feel nauseous– Jaehyun declared he’s in a relationship with Doyoung in front of the entire population of the city, and they swore to keep the business flourishing. And bro, you won’t believe me; but just like that, you were erased from memories even without the help of the mages’ obliviate spell. This is top secret among immortals like us, but the few people who know this darkest secret from the past to this day includes me. And perhaps, those two goons know too, just as much as you heard them argue about it this afternoon.”

“Damn,” Sicheng hitches his breath. “The past was really something else.”

“It was. You weren’t in Seoul at that time because you were teleported back to Peking, Beijing it is to this day. The rest is history, but the truth is I don’t know what happened to you in China. All I heard from your daredevil cousins is that you were recovering from severe heartbreak and sought to renew your life, and so you did. A year later when I saw you once again, gosh, Sicheng; you didn’t change at all with the impudent attitude, but one thing for sure that changed about you was how you grew bolder and braver. You swore never to love again.”

“I mean it,” Sicheng presses. “I meant what I said that time.”

“Well,” Ten’s smile softens. “Be grateful that I’ve been with you your entire lifetime, so as your best friend followed by Nakamoto Yuta and Qian Kun, I know almost everything that occurred.”

“Christ, you make it sound like you’re a stalker of mine.”

“My name is Ten, not Christ.” Sicheng laugh at his response, playfully slapping his shoulder.

“The wine has been forgotten!” The demon shrieks.

Sicheng rolls his eyes, “Just open it already.”

“I don’t have a  corkscrew though?”

Sicheng narrows his eyebrows at him, scorning. “Use your demon powers, dummy!”

“Oh, right,” Ten shyly chuckles, before seizing the bottle with a firm grip. It doesn’t take him long till he tears the cork away from the mouth of the bottle without splashing the wine all over. He fancily pours it to his and Sicheng’s wine glasses like a professional, filling their glasses almost up to the rim. Sicheng raises his glass into the air with a subtle grin.

"Cheers."

"Glug glug, motherfucker."

  
  
  
  
  


Eight in the morning and the office is doing well normally. The blinds of their windows have been changed into a new one, just the durable set that can never be broken if someone hits a cicada on it. Sicheng feels a spark of productivity today, but he isn’t certain if spinning his pen while staring at the shadows of the sunlight scattered on his desk cast majestically by the blinds is appraised as productive. Sicheng did hear from the other interns that the secretary has arrived from the foreign business affairs just last night, so there was no way Sicheng could directly greet Doyoung a warm welcome right away.

Speak of the devil and here shall he comes, Sicheng ponders as he perceives Doyoung step in their office department of interns. The heel of his buckled shoe taps against the marble floor, and that’s what catches the attention of all the interns present in the room. They automatically bow at him, and Sicheng does the same.

“Secretary Kim! Welcome back!”

“Thank you guys,” he casually replies. “Has anyone seen Kunhang?”

“I’m here!” A voice from behind yells in the middle of running and panting. Sicheng watches as Hendery dashes all the way from the elevator to the open doors of their office, a pile of brown envelopes both in his palms. Upon seeing that the secretary has found who he needed in the first place, the whole office of interns sat down and returned to what they were doing. When push comes to shove, whatever Doyoung and Hendery’s conversation is about, no one cares about their business. No one but Sicheng; so he sits down like the others and listened closely. He hides in his cubicle desk, silently thanking all deities that his desk was on the corner, so neither Doyoung and Hendery had the chance of spotting him in the office, not even with the aid of his vibrant ruby red hair.

“Perfect timing, Kunhang. I needed to tell you something as the production manager.”

“Yes indeed, I take pride in being a production manager,” Hendery glows with confidence before he realizes who he was speaking to. “W-Wait, I mean– Ignore my rash nonsense, Mr. Kim–”

“It’s okay,” Doyoung shots him a fond smile. “I like your confidence, and I would be pleased if you keep that up."

Hendery does a salute. “Understood, Mr. Kim! I’ll never disappoint you!”

“In that case, I have to inform you that the CEO will have a special interview in one of the country’s popular magazine, Episteme Kiss. It’s up to you to manage the details, the date, the setting, the time, everything. I trust in you, Kunhang.”

_ Episteme Kiss?! _ Sicheng widens his eyes.  _ T-That’s the magazine Ten works for! _

“Leave everything to me, Mr. Kim. I promise this will be another achievement for the CEO’s media status.”

By the time Doyoung exited their office with Hendery following close behind, Sicheng fumbles to grab his phone from inside his suitcase. He dials Ten right away, the latter picking up five seconds on the first ring.

“Have you heard the news? Jaehyun will have a new interview.”

“ _ Sicheng, of course I would know nothing. I’m not your co-worker.” _

“Chittaphon, I’m not the dumb one here! Jaehyun is going to be interviewed by the magazine you work for!”

“ _ Wait what?” _ A few shuffling sounds were heard from the other line. “ _ Holy shit! I think I was too busy arranging the pages for the latest edition. I didn’t even hear the news from my juniors! But Jaehyun being featured in our magazine? It’s more likely than you think! I wish I can be the interviewer though, but I guess I’ll have to find a way for you.” _

“Don’t sweat it, Ten. What is your exact job anyway?”

“Writing the cues and script. I sometimes write prompts to raise during the interview too, but since I have six seniors who do that kind of job, I’ll make sure to snatch the position for you.”

“Ugh,” Sicheng grunts. “Thank you so much, Ten.”

“ _ No problem, Sicheng. Oh, by the way, can you fetch the kids from school? They’re getting their semester results today, but since they have no one to fetch them, maybe you can?” _

“Woah, I can. I’m free this afternoon anyway. Which kids though?”

“ _ The ones who were born during the rise of the Renaissance period.” _

“Oh,” Sicheng pauses for half a minute till he loses it. “Huh… I’m going to fetch two bratty werewolves?!”

Time ticks and Sicheng’s accompanying two close acquaintances in the middle of the streets. Fetching two bratty werewolves after they got their semester results gives Sicheng the feeling of being a mother, yet it makes him want to crawl under a huge rock and never get out again to hear the two bicker every step they take as they walk together on the sidewalk.

“Of course, I’d answer most of the questions correctly,” boasts Donghyuck. “I was there during the renaissance era and watched all of Shakespeare’s plays. You were with me during those times though, how could you forget?!”

“Just admit it that both of you have memory defect from immortal aging.” Sicheng grimaces.

“Still, this is unfair. I never see him study!”

“It’s called stock memory for your information.”

Mark whines, “it’s super unfair!”

“Jaehyun’s existence is unfair.” Sicheng bluffs, not stuttering at all.

Mark and Donghyuck give him the look of distaste. Sicheng looks back at them awkwardly, sweat trickling down his face.

“We heard what you said,” Donghyuck dissolves into laughter. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.”

“A-As if!” Sicheng turns beet red, the color of his cheeks almost matching his red hair. “D-Don’t tell anyone, not even a single soul!”

“We’ll not tell anyone,” claims Mark bluntly. “Not even a single soul.”

“That reminds me,” Donghyuck hums in a lax manner, reaching out to unearth something from his bag. He brings out a familiar notebook and hands it to Sicheng, the latter accepting it whilst ogling the cover. It really is the replica of Jaehyun’s journal Yukhei made for him. He caresses the plain black cover with gentle hands, finding it attractive as to how every copy of Jaehyun’s old notes were all jotted in these pages.

Mark clears his throat, “from here on, we know the way back home. Stop accompanying us just because Ten told you, okay? We’re not children. We have lived for thousands of years, pretty much just how immortals ordinarily are. It’s not like we’re going to die or something. In fact, if we die, we survive. Simple as that.”

“Gosh, respect immortals that were born decades before you, will you?” Sicheng leers at him, observing him up and down. “I just came to act as your legal guardian to get your semester results.”

“Wait, hyung!” Donghyuck calls out just as Sicheng was about to pivot his heel towards the other street. “Just to remind you. We summarized every notes Jung Jaehyun wrote pages by pages. The sticky notes are all you have to look for, just in case you don’t want to drain yourself just by the formal penmanship of Jung Jaehyun.”

“Oh and well, that material may not be part of your Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission, but it actually is a great thing for you to figure out your feelings towards him. Who knows, everlasting love might exist even in this corrupted world.”

“He’s not my boy!” Sicheng fumes. “Feelings? As if! Ten already told me that I’d become Doyoung’s enemy in the past had he literally met me!”

Mark and Donghyuck roar in laughter, before sprinting away from the raging Sicheng. With their incredible speed as werewolves, a shapeshifter like Sicheng can’t keep up with their extraordinary pace. “Get back here you evil dog incarnates!” Sicheng chunters, not minding at all if he caught the attention of a random passerby just by yelling like a lunatic in the public. “I saw your ugly GPAs! I can’t believe you placed your whole concentration into this black thing instead of studying! Wait until Johnny hears this!”

Sicheng is very persistent. Trying to shapeshift from time to time even with vague details of his own true form is child’s play to him. In fact, Sicheng doesn’t really mind enduring the harsh consequences especially when it hurts every time the steam acts up from his skin, as long as he gets steps closer into achieving what he wants. That is exactly why he is standing in front of the mirror by the sink on the 42 nd floor’s restroom for men, checking out how he turns out to be under his own control.

Why 42 nd floor you ask? After Sicheng was ditched by the werewolves, he saw Jisung and Chenle in the nearby cafe and he just had to approach, ask Jisung, a mage, to teleport him back to the office for he ran out of stamina from breathing the same air as Mark and Donghyuck. Sicheng didn’t even spare a second to realize that Jisung is practically a teen in mental age even though he had been living since the French revolution, so even his magic powers aren't developed yet, and he isn’t a properly trained mage either. The last thing Sicheng heard before he slipped into the portal that gave him queasiness was Chenle’s annoying laugh, and bam. Out of all floors he could’ve ended up in, it really had to be the one where the CEO’s office is.

“Woah, I didn’t know you’re a shapeshifter. That’s cool, I’m a wizard.” A voice calls from behind, and by the familiarity of it had Sicheng tense up. He glances at the mirror and sees Doyoung smiling fondly at him.

“Mr. Kim!” Sicheng greets, letting go of his numb hand and stopped shapeshifting. “Welcome back!”

“Thank you,” Doyoung replies as he heads to the sink beside Sicheng to wash his hands. “But I won’t last here for long. Who knows? I might leave again tomorrow for Europe, though I haven’t been emailed yet on when’s my departure.”

“Is that so? You must be so busy,” Sicheng says, concern written all over his face.

“It’s alright, I’m used to getting tired,” Doyoung complies with a sigh. “With me gone, I think the work in this whole building might increase, so I hope you continue to work harder, get it?”

“Yes,” Sicheng bows at him. “I’ll work harder for the company even if I’m just an intern.”

Doyoung nods with a smile. “I’ll be going.”

A moment later after Doyoung left the bathroom, Sicheng stepped out and catches him in time disappearing into the CEO’s office. Before he could even turn around and go to the elevator, someone smacked a heavy material against his shoulder with a playful grin.

“Hi there, Sicheng.”

Sicheng glares at Xiaojun, clenching his teeth at the pain on his shoulder. “I told you not to call me that!”

“Sorry, I’m not used to calling you a different name. Can you bring this file record to the secretary? Thanks.”

“You’re not getting away till you learn how to call me by my alias!”

Xiaojun sticks out his tongue, “bye, ‘Cheng!”

Before Sicheng could hit him on the head with the hardbound file, Xiaojun transformed into a bat and flew away till he vanished from Sicheng’s sight. Grumbling, he made his way to Doyoung’s desk, the one just in front of the CEO’s office. Doyoung wasn’t there on his seat, so Sicheng places the file on his desk for him to see it right away. He didn’t need to know where Doyoung is, however, he averts his attention to the glass window of the CEO’s office and god, he can make out two people snogging messily on the couch.

Obviously, the two people are the CEO and his secretary, and somehow, it shatters Sicheng’s heart into a million pieces. Like a war flashback, the memory comes to haunt Sicheng again. It’s exactly just how he caught them that night in the bar, but today, it’s in the office. Sicheng feels a pang of agony wanting to burst in his chest and destroy his whole being, yet he continues to watch them through the glass pane.

Only the lamp is lit inside and the curtains are drawn, which makes sense since Jaehyun is a vampire. It gives an amorous atmosphere inside, much to Sicheng’s jealousy. As far as he can make out with the poor lighting, their lips were still pressed against one another, and it’s only a matter of time until Doyoung sticks out his tongue teasingly. At the same time, Sicheng discerns Jaehyun grasping Doyoung’s bow attached to his collar. He pulls the fabric aggressively, the bow now untied and Doyoung’s chest exposed. Doyoung lets out a choked moan, thus Jaehyun shuts him with another peck on the lips. Doyoung’s bony fingers made their way to the buttons of Jaehyun’s shirt, fumbling them as he tried his best to unbutton the damn shirt. Still concentrated, Sicheng notices how Jaehyun reeled back and opened his mouth to say something, his eyes still lovingly fixated at the nasty sight of Doyoung sprawled on his couch. Even if Sicheng doesn’t hear what he softly muttered, he reads his lips like it’s the easiest thing to do in the universe

_ Can I bite you? _

Envy engulfs him as a whole. Sicheng never felt so helpless in his entire lifetime.

  
  
  
  
  


Nine in the evening and Sicheng came home not to Ten’s apartment, but his own. It’s practically an abandoned apartment in the outskirts of Seoul without a landlord nor a rent, so Sicheng’s wallet is safe no matter how many times he ditched his own home and stayed at Ten’s often since it’s near the company building. The moment his shoe tapped against the polished wooden floor, he feels the nostalgia washing over him. He had always been alone during the times he lived here, with his cousins only visiting him from time to time. He switches open the lights to brighten his home. He had contacted Ten earlier that he’ll not be coming home to his apartment tonight as he didn’t want to bother Ten from his work for Jaehyun’s interview and he needed some time alone too, especially after he just witnessed the same traumatizing scene from his past.

Sicheng takes a refreshing shower to clear his mind before going to bed. He dressed in the old pajama set buried inside his closet, and as soon as he flops to his bed sheets, his ringtone is heard. Sicheng hastily grabs it from the night desk beside his squeaky bed and picks up right away, not even sparing a second to glance at the I.D. caller.

“Hello?”

“ _ Mr. Moon, I’m sorry if I’m a nuisance but will you be up for another favor?”  _ Sicheng recognizes the voice as Doyoung’s.  _ “I heard from Dejun and Jeno that you’re extremely reliable and capable of handling things.” _

“Not to be flamboyant, but I guess that’s true. And no, Mr. Kim, you’ll never be a nuisance, you don’t have to worry.”

“ _ You’re so nice, Mr. Moon.”  _ Doyoung pronounces with an indulgent tone, Sicheng squirming in his bed at the simple compliment.  _ “So how about this; if you accept my favor, I will promote you to a higher department and increase your paycheck.” _

Sicheng sheepishly laughs. “Whether or not you’ll do those, I’d still accept. It’s an honor to be trusted by the company’s secretary beyond everything.”

“ _ Glad to hear that, Mr. Moon! As I told you earlier, I’m going to be on a business trip to Europe for a very important meeting and arrangement with negotiators. That way, I will not be working in South Korea for a while. Therefore, can you work for the CEO on behalf of my absence?” _

_ Ah, that’s probably why they did the nasty.  _ Sicheng clenches his teeth in detestation. _ Farewell sex, perhaps? _

“What? I’ll surely disappoint you, Mr. Kim. I have no idea how to work as a secretary.”

“ _ No need to panic, I’ll list you things you have to do based on my centuries-long experience. Besides, Jaehyun admitted he’s interested in you for some reason. He says you remind him of someone.” _

_ Shit _ . “Ah, I see. Then I’ll accept the offer.”

“ _ Majestic! Is it alright for you to start tomorrow?” _

“Uh-huh, I’ll see if I can,” Sicheng pauses. “Hold on, how long will I have to keep doing this?”

  
“ _ Hmm,” _ Doyoung ponders for a second. “ _ Maybe a month or so.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phews must be hard to imagine Sicheng in Taeil's body :,) don't worry I imagine Sicheng in his real form as I was writing anyway siGH,, by the way follow me in twt if you want lol my spam/writing acc is @deadxxpoets and that acc is as dry as the Sahara desert
> 
> \+ I hope y'all have a great day and stay hydrated!!!
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	2. When the sun shines above, you wake up with the one you love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date, an interview and a reunion.

Without Sicheng, it unusually feels lonely in Ten’s apartment. Bits of melancholy are getting in the way of Ten’s concentration towards his work, and it takes him an hour to continue working as he should. He squints at the files scattered on his desk and it hits him for the umpteenth time that he was given the role of writing prompts for Jaehyun’s interview. He keeps forgetting for some reason, then again, the head of their magazine company giving him the convenient role still feels like a dream.

_Hmm, should I prompt him to act sad when he mentions about his former love? Wait no, that way the general public wouldn’t know how he truly feels._

Ten doesn’t have the mindset to work tonight no matter how much he can’t sleep with all the papers resting on his desk. Sicheng being gone isn’t helping either, and there’s only one thing left for Ten to lift up his own mood. He unearths his phone from his bag on the floor, staying unbothered when he sees the battery percentage as 9%. He dials the love of his life and speaks first.

“Where are you?”

“ _I’m about to head home.”_ The honey-like voice responds. _“Why?”_

“Nothing. I just wanted to check up on you, babe.”

“ _Don’t worry about me, Ten. I’m sorry I can’t be with you tonight, I have to deal with a sulky Mark crying over his exam results. You should sleep now, it’s past midnight already.”_

“Hearing your voice is enough. I can’t sleep due to the amount of work I have to do before the sun goes up.”

“ _Well, good luck with whatever you’re doing. I promise I’ll see you tomorrow.”_

“Can we go on a date tomorrow?” The way Ten said it was desperate. It pains Johnny a little. “We’ve been dating for like an eternity but so far we only had three dates.”

Johnny chuckles. “ _Be patient, Tennie. Something ahead of you is waiting. I love you.”_

Before Ten could even muster a reply, Johnny cuts the call short as Ten tosses his phone to his bed in frustration. The demon pouts, not satisfied with how his boyfriend hung up on him without letting him answer an ‘I love you’ or a ‘good night’ back.

  
  
  


It's the first day of Sicheng being Jaehyun’s temporary secretary and he’s already running late. The sole reason for it was because there is not a demon in Sicheng’s apartment to wake him up nor an alarm clock on his night desk. Sicheng woke up way past the first of his office hours, and by the time he sees 9:36 on his phone screen, he ran to the bathroom, almost broke an ankle and got undressed. Sicheng kind of regrets sleeping in his own apartment now and the way Doyoung’s call kept him up all night added up to the list of why he should’ve stayed at Ten’s.

He arrives at the company by eleven, considering he still had to take the bus since he lives on the outskirts of the city. He sprints to the elevator and was relieved that he caught up in time when the elevator opened, but getting on it didn’t remove his stress and anxiety. In fact, the ride all the way from the ground floor to the 42nd floor was long, causing Sicheng to get stressed on his own impatience. The ride is estimated to last for nine minutes but for Sicheng’s case, it became twelve minutes since there were three minutes of some workers from different floors to stop, get off and ride again.

Sicheng doesn’t stop running when he gets off the elevator on the 42nd floor, and even if his shoes tapped loudly against the floor, he darts towards Jaehyun’s office, the sliding doors automatically opening as he gets nearer. The first thing he sees when he gets in is Jaehyun in his glory, spectacles adorning his visuals. He scans a report before signing it on the corner of the paper, glancing at Sicheng afterward.

“I’m sorry. I’m late. I live far away so I had to take the bus, and the elevator got itself into traffic,” Sicheng excuses himself, but Jaehyun’s menacing glare only made him tense.

“Doyoung did tell me you’ll come,” he admits, straightening the files on his desk. He stands up from his seat and pockets both of his hands, and Sicheng thinks that’s, ugh, hot. The way he has his tie fixed neatly against his collared shirt, his cuffs pinned cleanly, and his hair gelled upwards; he’s attractive, even Sicheng couldn’t disagree.

“Mr. Moon. Do you know the brain uses a quarter of the calories we consume a day?”

Sicheng snaps out of his trance. “Sorry?”

“I'm hungry because I overworked my brain.”

"I'll prepare you some snacks then.”

“No, I know what I want to eat. Go to the burger shop and get the two most expensive things on their menu along with two servings of freshly cooked french fries. Make sure they fry them on the spot.”

Jaehyun spoke too fast but clear yet Sicheng didn’t manage to catch everything he said. It’s as if he was speaking Gibberish out of nowhere and the new secretary can’t help but ogle his face and get perplexed.

“Pardon?”

“And on your way back, pick up an Americano with an extra shot of espresso as well two cups of latte with two extra shots of espresso. Give the cups of latte to Jaemin, his office is on the tenth floor. No need to rush. Take your time. Two packets of sugar and two straws too. And make sure you bring five pieces of napkin.”

"But why all of a sudden–"

"Just do as I say. Hurry."

"Y-Yes sir!"

Sicheng did everything as told. He dashes out of the lobby after getting off the elevator till he arrived at the burger shop by foot. It takes him a whole minute scanning the menu and manages to persuade the worker that he wants the recently cooked french fries by flashing him a scowl. Thanks to his incredible talent for having explicit memory, he hasn’t forgotten a single word from Jaehyun’s speed speech about the coffees. He does stop by a coffee shop nearby and orders exactly everything Jaehyun said, but instead of prattling in a speedy manner, he appears normal in front of the cashier and tells them his literal orders in a more comprehensible aspect.

Stopping at the center of the lobby, Sicheng heaves a sigh, sweat disheveling his groomed hair. It doesn’t even feel like he has reached his end point yet, not to mention Jaehyun’s floor is forty-one floors up. But this absolutely is the end point of his stamina.

“Mr. Moon!” A voice calls out from behind, causing Sicheng to turn around. He recognizes that familiar toothy grin right away.

“Let me help you with that,” Yangyang rushes to his side and grabs the two cups of latte, even though he already had a small stack of stamped paperworks on hand.

“N-No need, I don’t need help–”

“It’s okay, let me take care of this,” Yangyang gives him a low thumbs-up and presses the elevator button with the same finger. “So where are you heading?”

“Tenth floor?” Sicheng articulates, unknowingly making it seem more of a question.

“Got you,” Yangyang utters as he got in the elevator with Sicheng. The ride lasted not that long compared to Sicheng’s so-called journey to the 42nd floor. By the time they reached the tenth, Yangyang leads the way to the CIO’s office with Sicheng closely tailing behind. Sicheng shoves open the door of the office, still feeling sorry that Yangyang’s hands are fully booked.

“Mr. Moon!” Jaemin marvels, hopping off his seat to welcome Sicheng with his arms spread open. “I’ve been waiting. I heard it’s your first day as hyung’s temporary secretary.”

“You were expecting me to come?”

“Yeah. Doyoung hyung habitually brings us morning coffees every Wednesday and Friday.”

“Oh,” Sicheng halts. “… I’m going to do this every Wednesday and Friday?”

“You should’ve seen the look on your face,” Jaemin taunts. “Woah hold on, that’s the same look you had when I caught up to you just about to leave hyung’s house that morning when we were both uh, barely sober, and I–”

“You what?” Yangyang intercedes, finally making his presence known as he places down the two coffees on Jaemin’s work desk. “Mr. Moon has been to the CEO’s house? Scandalous.”

“We’re not supposed to be chewing over this kind of thing,” Sicheng calmly contends. “I’ll get going now. I don’t want to keep the CEO waiting.”

“Good luck,” Jaemin smiles from ear to ear. “Come eat with me and Jeno for lunch at the cafeteria!”

“Hey, unfair!” Yangyang protests, slamming his files onto a vacant desk located beside the door. “I want to eat with Mr. Moon too!”

“No can do, Mr. Liu!” Jaemin derides. “You have a meeting with the export department. Afterward, you’ll have a cup of tea with the purchasing manager then hold a seminar consisting the sales department and the accounts department, followed by having a private talk with Mr. Seo the CFO to arrange negotiations regarding the marketing sales and discuss matters as you make your way to the typing pool and stay there until dinner. Meaning, you don’t have a second to grab a bite and have a full lunch meal.”

“Asshole, how do you even know my schedule?! You’re nothing but a mere vampire!”

“Boys, get to work okay?” Sicheng squeaks uneasily. “Stop bickering over me. As a matter of fact, I would like to have lunch with neither of you.”

"So you're telling me Mr. Moon rejected you and Yangyang straightforwardly?"

"Indeed. He didn't stutter."

"Fame sucks," Jeno swallows his lunch meal. Jaemin did the same. "Just give Mr. Moon a break. I think he's just tired."

"He must be really tired," Jaemin states. "Like look, now that he has temporarily replaced Doyoung hyung, Mr. Moon has the heavy duties of being the backbone of the company and carry the burdening tasks with his whole chest."

Jeno bobs his head in agreement. "You're right. He's really a reliable one."

"By the way, why does it seem like the cafeteria is loaded for lunch today?"

"All the departments are working hard for the Digital & Social Media Marketing Summit event this weekend. Everyone's hella packed, maybe even as I am."

"Darn it, I wonder if Mr. Moon is alright."

"The real question here is if our hyungs are alright," Jeno counters. "Doyoung hyung hasn't texted me ever since he boarded the plane to Europe."

"Who cares about them? They're immortals just like us!"

"Jaemin," Jeno stares off to the middle of the cafeteria, spotting a particular person. "It's Mr. Moon."

Jaemin follows his direction and sees Sicheng looking lost amidst the bustling atmosphere of the cafeteria. Sicheng shifts his eyes around, trying to look for a vacant seat to sit on and eat.

"Let's invite him to our table," Jeno suggests, feeling sorry for Sicheng that he had to hold a tray of his lunch meals for that long without knowing where to go. Jaemin didn't need to be told twice by Jeno, beaming at the sight of the shapeshifter.

"Mr. Moon!" He shouts joyously, catching Sicheng's attention in a blink of an eye. He waves at Sicheng and gestures for him to come to their table. "Over here!"

Sicheng's expression doesn't change as he approaches their table like a transfer student joining a bunch of popular kids. He settles down on the seat beside Jaemin.

"Thank you for saving me back there. I had nowhere to go."

"No problem. I'd still love to spend time with someone as idolic as you even when you told me you don't want to eat with me."

"Oh that," the older male laugh. "I didn't mean to hurt you and Mr. Liu. I just didn't want the two of you fighting over me."

Jeno glares at Jaemin, hissing, "you were picking a fight with him again?"

"He started it!"

"Boys, calm down." Sicheng shushes, adjusting his chopsticks on his finger-thin grasp. "We're in front of our lunch meals. I do hope you have some table manners."

"Right," Jeno shamefully groans. "Let's talk about something else. How's being the CEO's secretary? Doyoung hyung is too reserved and professional with his occupation as if it's child's play to him, so I don't know how it really feels like."

"You have no idea," Sicheng looks flabbergasted upon Jeno's disclosure. "We get tired too! Mr. Kim must've his weaknesses enclosed, so it's just him and his perfect image everybody knows shown to the public."

Jeno pouts in disbelief. "I get your point, but I just couldn't help being worried."

"That's understandable. He's your brother yet is away to some foreign affairs on the other side of the world."

"On the brighter side, the company business is flourishing," Jaemin broaches. "We're landing branches on several spots in not only this country but all over the world too."

"I agree. You guys are supernatural creatures, right? That makes business more interesting. I didn't know mages and vampires could get along. What a complimentary pair."

"Uh," Jeno trails off, dumbfounded. "Um... I guess?"

"Jeno, the O spell." Jaemin anxiously whispers to his ear. Sicheng hears it anyway.

Sicheng waves off his hand. "No need to obliviate me. In fact, I'm an immortal too."

Jaemin squints at him. "What are you then?"

“I’m a shapeshifter.”

"You're not lying," Jeno gasps.

"I know. You can read my mind, right? You should know who I truly am."

"Holy shit," Jeno gapes, stunned at Sicheng's uncovered secret. Jaemin looks at him in discomfiture before meeting eyes with Sicheng.

"Who are you?"

"Jaemin," Jeno taps his thigh from under the table. "He's Dong Sicheng."

"WHAT?!"

"I am Dong Sicheng. I'm sorry I didn't tell you from the beginning," the shapeshifter admits. "It's a secret I've been keeping for a while now. Only the CFO knows about this among the whole company."

"Jeno, he must be manipulating your mind," Jaemin warns, gritting his teeth.

"No Jaemin, he's not! There are no forces on me. He's telling the truth," Jeno shots Sicheng an apologetic look. "My apologies, Jaemin has no self-control."

"I have self-control," Jaemin hisses until he manages to calm down. "Well, I shouldn't have acted that way."

"It's fine."

“Besides, that’s amazing!” Jaemin’s face glowed in delight. “Since we supernatural creatures and superhumans are too good in blending with humanity, it’s kind of hard for a fellow to find out what sort of breed you are.”

"So why are you working here in the company?" Jeno interrogates, taking another bite of his steak. "Man, I never knew you were alive all along!"

"It's a secret too," Sicheng simply answers. "The reason why I came here must not be revealed to anyone but to those that are trustworthy."

"Does that mean we're not trustworthy?" Jaemin presses.

"Jaemin!" Jeno chastises. "Mr. Moon, excuse us if we were intrusive. We respect your personal reasons."

"I agree with Jeno." Jaemin holds Sicheng's hand tightly, anxiety smeared all over his face. "Tell us if anything is bothering you, okay? I'm really worried just as Jeno is, you've always been my role model ever since you helped Jaehyun hyung with his hungover."

"He what?" Jeno intervenes.

"It's nothing," Sicheng grunts.

"I hope Jaehyun hyung doesn't overwork you," Jaemin pouts. "He's very cold and straightforward when it comes to serious business and only Doyoung hyung manages to deal with his extremity."

"It's alright. So far I can keep up with his orders and follow as he says." Sicheng falters. "... You're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"We'll make sure we won't." Jeno pledges.

After lunch break, Sicheng goes back to his desk alone. He pays heed to the invitations and memoranda brought to his desk without his consent. He grouses and collapses tiredly onto his seat, carding his hair through his hair in distress. It's too early on a noontime for him to get a migraine.

“Darn it,” Sicheng intentionally smacks his own face with a newspaper. “Why is it when I’m together with those kiddos it always has to be about Jaehyun?”

Johnny told Ten he's going to take him anywhere he wants as a huge apology gift, but Ten waves him off and said he's alright with anywhere as long as he gets to be with Johnny all the time. The werewolf, however, doesn't approve of his response.

"Listen, Tennie, I want to buy you anything and take you anywhere you want because today is the day we get to be together again after what feels like decades. Can't you understand that?"

"Babe, I understand. But do you understand my satisfaction? I don't need anything, you're already enough."

"Fine," Johnny gives in. "I'm taking you to Hongdae anyway."

They do walk hand in hand to Hongdae, not feeling the need to ride a public transportation even though Hongdae is quite distant from Seoul. In fact, both of them like this, just the two of them walking in the midst of the city's hustles or so they thought.

"Does Jaehyun overwork you?"

"No, not really. He has a lot of employees, so it's alright."

"But the fact you're a CFO and you don't always have time for me doesn't prove that," Ten contradicts.

"Yeah, work is a load. I have to watch over the assets of the company and manage the financial business, although that doesn't stop me from loving you."

"Ugh, you smooth fucker," Ten curses, pinching Johnny's cheek. "I love you much much much more, remember that."

"Ew," whispers the voice hiding in the alley. "Disgusting."

"Shut up Mark, your way of pinning after Donghyuck is disgusting," Renjun argues, earning a slap at the head from Mark. Donghyuck on the other side drops his jaw in surprise, looking at Mark with hearts all over his eyes.

"Mark, you love me?"

"W-What?! No, I don't!"

"Lies are so annoying," Jisung sighs.

"Hey now, stop fighting! What happened to our little crew of stalking Johnten on their date?" Chenle bewails with a bit of panic in his tone. "And shush, you're all way too loud!"

"You're the one who's loud!" Renjun whisper-yells at his cousin.

Johnny and Ten arrived at Hongdae by foot in the span of an hour. Their first store is a clothes store, and time goes on till they shift from one store to another and Johnny has seven shopping bags all for Ten.

In the meantime, the stalking crew is having a hard time trying to keep up with the couple, acting like normal people amongst the crowd since they didn't spare a minute for all of them to dress decently with masks and caps as disguise. Then again, their purpose of stalking was strategic as if they are members of a Dispatch team, Renjun jotting down notes on his notepad ("I'm going to report everything to Kun hyung. What time, each shop they walk in, when do they kiss, how many times they hold hands, everything.") Chenle and Jisung acting like the paparazzi as they take multiple photos of them with their phones, and Donghyuck and Mark just typically throwing banters at each other. In fact, they had another important purpose of gathering close behind Johnny and Ten. It's to back up Johnny for later.

"I always wonder why Ten hyung hates me," Donghyuck groans. "I didn't do anything wrong to him though?"

"Because you're the incarnate of Satan." Mark patently answers.

Jisung narrows his eyebrows. "But that's Ten hyung?"

Chenle wheezes. "Oh my god, this is so funny."

Renjun frantically shushes Chenle with his forefinger on his lips, shooting the younger fairy a death glare. "For crying out loud just shut up!"

"And you ask where we learn how to curse." Jisung retorts.

The date started at three in the afternoon, so it's not a surprise that by the time Ten and Johnny walked out of the coffee shop (which apparently is the twentieth shop among Hongdae street they walked in), the sun is setting and the skies getting darker. Lights are everywhere, from the shops to the streetlights, giving a thrill to how the packed streets will turn out tonight.

"You're not tired yet?" Johnny questions, genuinely concerned about the demon's limited stamina.

"Nah, not really. Where do we go next?"

"If you won't mind, then let's go to Cheonggyecheon Stream."

"Then that means we'll be taking the bus from here."

"Yeah," Johnny grabs Ten's hands and tenderly holds him close. "Let's go."

"Shit, you hear that?!" Renjun freaks out as he watches Johnny and Ten head to the bus stop, drifting far away from their crew. "Anyone here brought your wallets?!"

"Dude, I thought we were going around by foot," Donghyuck grunts. "How did we even get all the way to Hongdae from Seoul?! That's inhumane!"

"Hyung, we're supernatural species, our existences are normally inhumane." Troubled, Chenle answers as he glances at Donghyuck.

"Oh right."

"Jisung, you're a magician right?! Teleport us to Cheonggyecheon Stream now!" Mark demands.

"You're a werewolf right?! Transform to dogs now and get us there!" Jisung brattily retaliates.

"Idiot! There's no full moon tonight!"

"What a fucking mess," Renjun shuts his eyes in distress, palming his aching head. "Jisung, can't you accio anyone's wallets from home?"

"What's the fun in that? We can just hijack a bus to get us there!" Donghyuck chortles. "Let's act like wild humans for once! Jisung can obliviate the passengers and control the driver's mind."

Renjun squints at him. "Are you trying to imply we do risk-taking behaviors like bandit teens do?"

"I'm literally implying it."

Mark gasps. "Bro."

Donghyuck winks at him.

"Bro."

It took a matter of time for the five friends to get to their hijacking adventure. Nevertheless, they were delayed behind the couple's arrival at their destination. While they were still stuck on a bus wandering around a city halfway to Seoul, Johnny and Ten had arrived at the hidden oasis in the bustling center of Seoul. The pretty Christmas lights wrapped around the trees and the colorful lights blending in with the fountains along the way added extra elements of romance to their romantic stroll. According to articles, many couples enjoy taking a walk by this stream especially during the evening. Johnny and Ten are one of the many couples.

Walking hand in hand with Johnny, Ten wore a smile worth all the stars in the universe as he averts his attention to the lights and the sky littered with vague constellations. The shopping bags Johnny carried earlier in Hongdae were gone much to his wonder. Ten reassured him that he teleported them to hell so he won't feel pressured for the rest of their lovely night. Ten is a demon, not a magician, so Johnny understands how hell is the only place where he can teleport things from their current dimension.

"It's so nice to be here with you," he randomly comments, eliciting a giggle from Johnny. "I'm serious."

"I feel the same way. I missed you so much, Ten. The verity that I stayed seated on my swivel chair in the office everyday without your presence makes me so sad. I wish you were there."

"Johnny, we both have jobs. Of course we have to earn a living. You understand that, don't you?"

"I do. It's just the fact that it's true lets me down."

"Johnnyyy~" Ten drawls with a pout, clinging onto Johnny's arm. "Don't be sad. Your Tennie is here, be happy!"

Johnny giggles alongside Ten. He pulls him close and endearingly holds his cheek, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"You're a demon, but you're unbelievably nice. You have several hearts, dude. Lots of hearts. You're the embodiment of love, well, at least in my eyes."

"You're too cheesy," Ten childishly squeals. "Such a sap! Mind you, not all demons are demonic. I'm not like those demons they tell in tales."

"I know. When are you going to start living with me though? You've been living alone in that complex apartment for quite a long time now. And the rent is too high."

"Live with you? Over my dead body. I can't stand your brother."

"Ten, you can't die, you're an immortal. And Donghyuck? Uh huh," Johnny cackles. "He'll live with Mark sooner or later, I'm sure of it."

"Those two have always been obvious, haven't they?"

"Yeah, Mark's just a fool. Straight as a ruler they say."

They chatted for quite a long time, taking a slow walk together that in the end, they didn't even reach the end of the stream. It doesn't take a moment for Johnny to spot a crowd at the center of the stream, where visitors were gathered and holding lanterns.

"It's Seoul Lantern Festival," Johnny gapes. "That means Christmas is nearing!"

"Johnny, it's just the first week of November."

Johnny ignores him.

"Let's go and lit lanterns!"

The skies were already decorated with hundreds of uniquely designed lanterns, same goes for the way along the stream. The buzzing small crowd of the visitors added to the thrill of the festival much to Ten's delight. Each lantern illuminates softly amidst the breezy night and staring at them touches Ten's heart like a special story. When the couple bought their lanterns, Ten glances at Johnny with a gleaming smile.

"Let's lift at the same time," says Ten, his sweater paws holding on to the lantern.

"And make a wish," Johnny reminds. "In one, two, three."

They lift their lanterns up, watching them flow away to the pitch black sky along with the other lanterns. Ten clamps his hands together and shuts his eyes to make a wish, Johnny doing the same.

"Are you going to tell me your wish?" Ten asks.

"Mayhaps I don't need to tell you about it," Johnny replies. "I'll just make it true right now."

Like a light of God's glory, Johnny bends on one knee to the ground, took out a small, red box from the pocket of his coat and faces Ten. The demon looks puzzled at first till his expression changed into bewilderment as he gradually realizes what Johnny is doing. Johnny opens the box. The ring is shimmering in the night like a grand luxury. Ten remains frozen on his spot as people were already staring at them.

"Ten," it comes off like a serene whisper from an angel and Ten feels like his heart has been purified.

"Will you marry me?"

As if time had stopped, as if the world only revolves around them, Ten may have forgotten how to breathe. The way he stared back at Johnny's starry orbs didn't help either. The paralysis shock roots its way throughout Ten's nervous system, and when he realizes time is still going on and Johnny is waiting patiently, he takes an exhalation in.

"Yes," he chokes out, trying his best to hold back the cry. He later gives up and bursts into tears, jumping onto Johnny with his heart full and contented. "Yes, Johnny, oh my god, yes!"

Johnny hugs Ten back, patting him comfortingly as he wails into his sleeve, soaking the thin fabric wet. Johnny doesn't mind as long as he gets Ten to be his now, and it takes a whole minute for Ten to scramble back to his feet and regain his balance on the ground. He wipes his blotchy face with his fingers, only stopping when Johnny elegantly pulled his right hand, laid it in front of him and inserted the silver ring on his middle finger. It looks so beautiful with Ten's skin color. It's as if the ring was made for him and only him. Ten glances at it for a moment and bawls once more. Johnny had to pull him into an embrace again and let him sob on his chest.

"Congratulations!"

Ten looks around in shock, reeling back when the sharp sound of poppers met his ears. Mark, Donghyuck, Jisung, even Renjun and Chenle surrounded them like guardian angels, smiling brightly at the sight. Chenle and Jisung were the ones who popped open the poppers. Mark and Donghyuck held a banner that said 'JohnTen engagement: Success' as Renjun watched the whole scene unfold with a satisfied grin.

The mixed sound of claps and cheers makes Ten so ecstatic, especially at the fact that the general public was moved by their engagement even though they were complete strangers to them. He feels welcome, his love is quite welcoming, and Ten just wants to thank every god and deity that Johnny Seo was brought to the same lifetime as him.

He's happy, he's over the moon. He is Ten, a demon. He is engaged merrily to Johnny, a werewolf, who he'd love before archaic plates even existed.

  
  
  


Out of respect for the two of them, Jisung teleported Mark and Donghyuck to Jangtaesan Natural Forest in Daejeon that night. The last thing they heard from their friends before Jisung brought them to the whirl of the portal was Renjun’s “they really need to learn” and Chenle’s response of “destiny can be drunk sometimes!” and honestly, Mark has never been this confused in his whole life.

They landed somewhere in the middle of the nicely crafted bridge, feeling the vomitous effect of the portal. It’s way past children’s bedtime at this hour so it’s highly likely for them to not be found by anyone nearby and sue them for entering a tourist spot without entrance fees. Mark walks away and leaves Donghyuck staring at the night sky.

“Mark,” Donghyuck chases after him, trying to keep up with Mark’s pace. In actuality Mark isn’t walking, he just left Donghyuck hanging behind a minute ago. “Mark! Hear me out!”

Finally did Mark turn around to face Donghyuck, only to scowl at him. “Jisung is out of his mind. I’ll head back home.”

“You’re going to head back alone?! Mark, listen to me,” Donghyuck pleads. “We can go home together.”

“Who are you for me to listen to?”

“Mark, please, you know you’ve always been my no. 1 best friend. You can’t act like this now.”

“Nah, I’m fine thanks.” Mark shrugs nonchalantly. “Darn it, I just need to find Renjun’s pixies that may be eavesdropping on us here so we’ll go back to the city as soon as possible. I’ve never been to this park, I don’t know where the exit is–”

Terror flashes on Donghyuck’s eyes, causing his pupils to dilate in shock. He discerns the four-legged creature galloping towards Mark from behind. Before it could jump on him, Donghyuck bolts towards Mark and hauls him from harm’s way. They lose balance and topple over each other on the side of the bridge, fortunately escaping the creature’s reckless attack and almost fell over the bridge too. The creature hops off the bridge and safely lands on the ground, sniffing it like its habit, before rolling over and indulges itself on the ground.

“W-What the hell is a wolf doing at a park like this?!”

“It’s a sign,” Donghyuck mumbles. “It’s the language of scent rolling.”

“Holy shit.”

Donghyuck hums, “you must be thinking what I’m thinking.”

  
  
  


Ten did stay over Johnny’s house that night. Donghyuck didn’t come home knowing the engaged couple is not suppose to be disturbed. What happened that night is something only Mark and Donghyuck knew. Sicheng hasn’t seen Ten for over 24 hours so far, but the demon did contact Sicheng that he can stay over his place for the night alone, telling him the key is under the plant pot by the foot of his door. Figures Sicheng would agree in the end, since he doesn’t want the same scenario from this morning happening again.

Thanks to Ten’s blaring alarm clock, Sicheng woke up earlier than he was supposed to, so he has a lot of time in his hands before heading to work. He chooses to come to the company building that early, and the first thing he does is go inside Jaehyun’s office for the weekly briefing, infuriated when someone else in the secretarial department is originally assigned with the briefing task. About the department, Sicheng is quite intrigued by the fact that Doyoung has his own department and is a head of it, but now when Sicheng is on his place on behalf of his absence, he can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

The employees of the secretarial department are young yet mature adults in their early years (or so as they look like it) which creeps out Sicheng a bit. How could they work diligently throughout the whole day without running out of stamina? Sicheng first met them during his first day and never saw them in the whole building for it was a vast, massive place composed of more than fifty floors. Then again, Sicheng doesn’t know them that much. He barely knows anything about them but their faces. He’s flattered when they hold respect for him for having been trusted by Doyoung just as much as he is respected on the neighboring floors to his office.

Sicheng’s footsteps echoed, plucking the attention of the occupied CEO examining prescriptions arranged on his desk. “Sir, I’m here for the weekly briefing.”

“Begin.” Jaehyun coldly orders, not even sparing Sicheng a glance. His focus remains fixated on the prescriptions.

“Alright,” Sicheng holds the clipboard on chest level and reads the printed schedule. “You’re set to arrive at Episteme Kiss’ studio in a few minutes for your interview. After the interview, you’ll have lunch with the head of the general affairs and their new temp worker. A conference with the mailing and correspondence sections follows close by. Not to forget a meeting with the planning team; I’ll be with you there. And by dinner, you’re settled to have a cocktail party with other business leaders you’re in collaboration with.”

“Okay,” Jaehyun waves off, his expression not changing in the slightest bit. “You did a great job.”

“Thank you sir, it’s an honor to please you.”

“Prepare the car for the magazine interview. I’ll go to the lobby in five minutes.”

“On it.”

Sicheng has fetched Jaehyun’s private car from the parking lot, ushering the driver to pull up in front of the lobby for Jaehyun. It reaches the lobby just in time and Sicheng quickly goes back inside the ground floor. He greets Jaehyun as he steps out of the elevator. With two bodyguards, Sicheng tags along to escort Jaehyun all the way to the car. Sicheng tugs open the door to the passenger seat, gesturing for the CEO to get inside.

Bowing, he gives Jaehyun a compliant look before shutting his eyes in regard. “Have a safe ride, sir.”

As soon as the car zooms out of his sight, Sicheng turns around to make his way back to the office. Truth be told he has been using Doyoung’s cleared desk ever since, the one situated in front of the CEO’s office. It was Jaehyun’s idea to begin with, claiming that it'll be easier for Sicheng to have access to him. He demanded Sicheng’s valuable things on his former desk to be transferred on his new desk and Jaehyun’s employees assented in accordance with his orders without any hesitation.

Sicheng snatches his suitcase from the floor and zips it open, making a mess of his stuff inside as he unearths his phone. He perches on his seat whilst sliding into his contacts, placing the gadget in front him. It's facetime with the demon.

“ _Yo_.”

“Hey Ten.”

“ _What did you call me for?_ ”

“Jaehyun’s on his way to your studio.”

“ _Dude oh my god yes, I’m currently hiding in the restroom fixing my makeup._ ”

“Ten, he’s not a celebrity or something?”

“ _I_ _have to look presentable. It’s part of my job.”_

Sicheng quirks an eyebrow, closely looking on the screen. “What are all those shopping bags behind you?”

“ _Oh these,”_ Ten sniffs. _“I had a date with Johnny last night. He bought me a lot even though I didn’t want him to. I originally teleported them to hell by the last minute of the date so we could have fun together without Johnny carrying them all the time. I’m a genius, right? I teleported them back to this dimension just now so I can use my brand new eye shadow palette.”_

Sicheng stifles a laugh. “Chittaphon, you have to trust him with money. He’s a CFO for a reason.”

“ _As if,_ ” Ten rolls his eyes. _“Anyways, can’t you believe we’re already engaged after like, 5 centuries?! I guess it’s no longer too early to talk about marriage. We’re gonna have half-cambion and half-werewolf kids! The combination is cool, don’t you think?”_

“That breed is rare,” he gasps. “Ten, your children are gonna be so special!”

“ _I know,_ ” Ten sasses, flipping his gelled hair. _“I have to go now. Good luck to the both of us! Work is never an easy thing.”_

Sicheng shots him a smile. “See you tonight.”

With all due honesty, Sicheng wasn’t really listening during the planning team’s discussion of important matters. He did share some early drafts of the plan with them and get their feedback as the process continues. Rather than Sicheng, Jaehyun leads the meeting well by tapping big-picture thinkers as well as getting a diverse set of perspectives. Sicheng finds it astonishing, but all he wants at the moment is to sleep. At the same time, he wants to crash in Ten’s apartment again after two nights of sleeping in his own, frankly wishing he could hear Ten prate to him about what went on during the shooting of the interview. In fact, sitting with The Jung Jaehyun during a consequential meeting doesn’t trouble Sicheng either albeit he has to admit it: he has never sat beside Jaehyun in ages.

“Mr. Moon, is there anything you would like to share?”

When we say Sicheng wasn’t listening, it’s the truth. He tilts his chin up from the written minutes on his table, greeted by the anticipating stares of the other businessmen of the company. Sicheng clears his throat and confidently perches up from his seat. Being a supernatural creature is convenient; he manages to easily pick up what they were talking about just now so he has something in his mind ready in a flash.

“Managing the strategic plan is critical to the organization’s success, so I request we appoint someone who’s seeking additional responsibility and is looking to move up in the organization. This role is a leadership development opportunity. Someone from the lower departments can do, I guess.” Sicheng proclaims. “We should cascade our strategies to operations before we align our people and financial resources. Afterward, we can execute our plan for our desired future.”

The businessmen gawk at him in stupefaction. Jaehyun remains collected as Sicheng plumps himself back down to his seat. The planning team keeps up the favorable meeting as it ends with their strategies thriving towards a bright time ahead.

The day passes like a star at dawn with diligence and efforts paid for much worth. By the time night fell, Sicheng hurried to Ten’s apartment, eager to know how the interview turned out. Like a habit, Sicheng knocks on his door twice, the door swinging open in an instant as he crashes in and waltzs into the living room.

Ten snatches two bottles of wine from the kitchen and places them on the coffee table situated in the middle of the living room. He pulls the corks with his bare hands, quickly grabbing his bottle and drank a large chunk of wine. Sicheng does the same as Ten whilst the latter sets his laptop open and plays the unedited video of Jaehyun’s interview.

“One question before we begin: why does it seem like his relationship with Doyoung is platonic?”

Sicheng shakes his head.

"It's not."

“Then how could you still possibly be in his mind? That’s just so weird.”

Sicheng frowns. “I saw them making out in Jaehyun’s office before Doyoung departed to Europe.”

“That can be platonic too.” Ten rebuts. “Here we go. I shall remind you that this video clip is real, not fake or a hoax. It may be a bit unbelievable to you.”

“Noted.”

“ _Good day to everyone! This is a special edition of Episteme Kiss, and today we have a special guest for today’s interview. Let’s welcome the CEO of Seoul Assemblage, Jung Jaehyun!”_

An ovation is heard from the directors and staff who were off screen. The interviewer carries on with the cues on her hand, _“Episteme Kiss is a magazine centered on Science with little bits of a corner for Romance. To serve as an entertainment for the audience, for the people who are fond of you all over the world, I’m going to be inquisitive on you today. Not as a bother or annoyance, however, we just want to unveil a side of you so we can get to know you more.”_

“ _Fine by me,”_ Jaehyun speaks to his mic. He has his legs crossed while seated on a Chieftains Chair, one of the most expensive chairs made from teak and walnut and is upholstered in leather. Sicheng would be lying if he said Jaehyun didn’t look alluring.

“ _Alright. The first question is simple. What is your favorite color and why?”_

“ _Ah, I’ll be honest,”_ Jaehyun grips his mic close to his lips. _“Brunette is my favorite color because it is dark in complexion, having a brownish tone to the skin and hair. And it’s actually my former lover’s hair color by birth.”_

Sicheng tensed up. He glances at Ten, who in turn gave him a straightforward response.

“I’m telling you. Everything is not part of the cues.”

“Then what the hell did you do as a prompter?”

“Raised prompts to give emphasis to his expressions. And I wasn’t just a prompter! I wrote some of interviewer’s cues too. That’s all there was to it. Jaehyun was honest for most of the time.”

“ _Your former lover must be lovely,”_ The interviewer coos. _“Moving on, tourists nowadays are attracted to Korean dishes. Are there any dishes you would consider as your favorite?”_

“ _Certainly. I like Jeongol and Sinseollo. They are similar to Western stew or Chinese hotpot. They’re served as part of the Korean royal court cuisine which was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910.” Jaehyun giggles. “I just happen to like dishes that originated from the past.”_

“The last one was a lie of course,” Ten remarks. “But he’s damn obvious as you could tell.”

“I could tell!” Sicheng bellows. “Sinseollo is my favorite dish from the 15th century.”

“I know. Jaehyun used to cook you Sinseollo even though he’s part of the Korean royal court during Joseon era.”

“Don’t dare,” Sicheng grimaces at him. “I didn’t need to be reminded.”

_“Korea is also famous for its unique traditional history blooming with rich heritage and a wealthy culture. Are there any dating spots you love?”_

“ _Bukchon Hanok village. I like it because it is one of the most beautiful and traditional parts of Seoul. I like how the cute Hanoks feature countless cafes and shops.”_

“ _You seem to love reminiscences from the ravishing past of this country,”_ Jaehyun doesn’t mind the interviewing expressing her opinion on his frank answers. It’s a matter of truth that he decides to be forthright anyway. _“How would you surprise your lover?”_

“ _Uh...”_ Jaehyun looked a bit hesitant, pausing for a good five seconds. _“Everyone would think this is directed to Doyoung, but to be outspoken, this applies to anyone who I love.”_

“A lie,” Ten quietly hisses.

“ _There are lots of ways for me to surprise my lover, but usually in my case, I like taking them out of the country. Numerous tourist spots in the west are on my list. I would like to take them to Lake of Love in Bruges, an enchanting spot surrounded by greenery and turreted houses – perfect for an idyllic waterside picnic.”_

“ _Oh, isn’t it said that if you cross the bridge over the lake and kiss your loved one there, your love will last forever?”_

“ _Indeed.”_ Jaehyun nods at the interviewer before carrying on. _“First on my list is Montreal, Quebec in Canada. I recommend the place for those seeking a touch of Europe’s romantic luster. There are many things to consider as some romantic opportunities to propose in Quebec, such as a cozy carriage-ride available all year round, skating along the St. Lawrence River, or the city’s weekly firework show that occurs during summer only. Second to that is... I’ve been to _the Rooftop of Terrass Hotel in Montmartre_ with Doyoung. I’ve always heard that it holds such a spectacular view on its 7th floor that you’ll marvel that this excellently rated restaurant has a menu that doesn’t break the bank. And so, it’s still somewhat of a hidden gem."_

“ _We can see that you had fun with Mr. Kim. You’re quite a romantic person yourself, Mr. Jung, we’re so glad to have you here,”_ the interviewer states with a satisfied grin, taking a glimpse of her cue cards. _“Can you give a message to your loved one? Or so now since we’re being shot, you can give a video call.”_

“ _I’ll talk to Doyoung,”_ Jaehyun faces a camera fixated on his screen time. _“Doyoung, I’m aware you’re busy with foreign affairs. I want you to know that you’re still the best person who has stayed by my side for a long time, and I–”_

'You've been to Quebec with Jaehyun centuries ago," Ten exits the video and shuts his laptop close. He gives Sicheng an uneasy look. “The rest of the questions were focused on Doyoung. You don’t need them. As of now, you heard enough asseveration from him. I will ask again, how could you still possibly be in his mind?”

“I...” Sicheng stammers, thinking twice. “I don’t know.”

“Whether or not he hasn’t forgotten you at all, it’s best for you to sleep everything away.” Ten evokes, patting Sicheng on the shoulder as an act of comfort. “We have a lunch reunion tomorrow with the hoes.”

That afternoon, Ten and Sicheng went out for lunch with Yuta and Kun, who later dragged a whiny Yukhei and Jungwoo along to their small get-together. Sicheng got a day-off with Jaehyun’s consent, so him not showing up to the office was not a bother to any employees (though they gradually realized how much they needed someone like Mr. Moon to be a temporary head of the secretarial department).

"We've been busy nowadays and we barely get time to see each other, so act nicely would you?" Yuta snaps at the two assassins.

"We're in no mood for a reunion." Yukhei protests.

Kun smiles fondly. "No more cup noodles for you then."

"I suddenly love reunions."

"Cut it out," Ten shushes. "Let's get into chit-chatting. How's working under the National laboratory, Kun? Yuta?"

"It's alright, I'm no longer sick of how laboratories smell." Yuta giggles.

"He's just saying that because he didn't get his face blown this week." Kun sips on his cup of iced tea.

Kun and Yuta have always been the scientists of the group, not because of passion but because of the power they were capable of. Not only they are the geeky scientists everyone in their friend group knew, but they were also the drugmakers of the same underground gang Jungwoo and Yukhei were hired to.

"Oh shut up will you?" Yuta hisses. "Anyways, we're fine. Kun managed to invent a medicine that could cure people diagnosed with cancer all over the world and I recently discovered a mixture of liquid that can help a lot in getting rid of bacteria in your drink. Coffee, juice or soda, it'll be ten times healthier without affecting the nutrients you can find in them."

"Wow. That's cool as fuck."

"Since Yuta and I can't use magic, it wasn't easy to do all of the experiment. We had to study often and strictly have a valid scientific explanation behind the experiments." Kun adds.

"Amazing." Ten comments. "What about you, Yukhei and Jungwoo?"

"Being assassins is always one hell of a rollercoaster ride," Yukhei groans. "One day we're chilling in a hotel bed then the next day Jungwoo had shot a man on the balcony and stole all his wine bottles."

"That's violent. Don't pull a Koro-sensei or else," Kun warns.

"No one would be able to capture us. We have powers."

"And it's not like we're gonna be caught."

"So the two of you dare to take any challenges just for money even if it takes you running away to the outskirts of the city after a locked murder? Nice."

"That was last year!" Jungwoo scolds. "Besides, Mark is way worse than us. He failed to do his job as the gang's humanitarian, he called the country's president's son someone who looks like he has been living in sewage with only cockroaches surrounding him, cockroaches being his bodyguards, just because the son had smelly hair."

"Dude, he was living within madness," Yukhei quakes. "If someone was to blame, it'd be Donghyuck. Mark hasn't talked to him ever since just because of their semester results. Donghyuck pulled the devil out of him."

"So you're saying us you didn't acquire billions of money from the president?" Kun inquires, raising his eyebrows. 

"Exactly. Our plan of welfare work for the governmental family was a big flunk."

"That's not all. Yukhei gunned down the wrong target at a hotel balcony because Mark was a big distraction. If you were there, you'll probably get irritated too, since he kept saying 'fuck Donghyuck and semester'." Jungwoo grouses, biting his lower lip. "We're lucky the innocent victim is an elf and an immortal."

"I did hear from Kun that they argued the night after Ten and Johnny got engaged," Yuta brings up.

"Indeed. Renjun reported everything to me. Jisung brought them to Jangtaesan Natural Forest. He and Chenle eavesdropped on them through their pixies, and sounds like they saw a wolf there."

"A wolf in a national park? That sounds bizarre."

"It was not inevitable. They claimed it appeared out of nowhere as a message." Kun sips his chamomile tea. Ten begins to sweat.

"Hey now, none of us are werewolves here. How are we supposed to know what that means?"

"Worry not, I asked Renjun what it means. When wolves find something with a strong or unusual odor like an animal carcass, they will roll in their prized discovery, coating their fur with the odor. Was there something that happened that night, Ten?"

Ten swallows. "Ah, hahaha I guess... I mean, yeah I went to bed and Johnny insisted–"

"Okay stop right there Satan," Sicheng interrupts. "We don't need to know the details."

Yukhei mirthfully grins, "hey man, we're good at delivering births! If you feel like it's about time, you know where to find us."

"Yeah, we'll be at your service for free." Jungwoo chimes. "We have several clients who have given birth at the worse timing, so this kind of job is normal for us to tend to."

"Why are we talking about this?! L-Let's carry on with the feud between Mark and Donghyuck," Ten fails to keep his composure as he swatted his hands, panic-stricken. "If this keeps continuing, Donghyuck might... Uh, cry."

"Please. We can't take care of Mark even though we're underground gang members." Jungwoo begs.

Sicheng squints at Ten. "Why do you seem suddenly concerned for Donghyuck?"

"Huh, I wasn't!" Ten bluffs, ears turning red. "W-Well, he's still Johnny's brother, and he's going to be my brother-in-law soon. I hate him, but I can't just let it slide away that he's totally whipped for Mark."

"Mark is way too high with his pride," Yuta mentions, sipping on his glass of soda. "I agree with Ten. We must take action."

"Wait," Sicheng speaks up. All heads turned to him.

Jungwoo quirks a brow. "You were saying?"

"I have an idea," Thrill is painted all over the giddy motions of his lips, and the rest of his friends are getting curious about what he has on his mind. "Indeed we must take considerate courses in this situation. I will need Kun and Yuta's help."

They engaged in a long conversation as their meals were delivered to their table. Eating didn't stop them from babbling, but as a matter of course, none of them spoke with their mouth full as they were watched over the two eldest friends, Kun and Yuta. Moreover, Kun is a strict parent figure, so everyone younger than him had witnessed his stern side and heavy discipline once or more in their lifetime.

"Johnny and I went out on a date the other day, and we're finally engaged!"

"I can't believe it took a million orbits of the sun for you to get engaged." Kun dissents.

"I can't believe it took you an eternity to live to this day and yet you still have no lover."

They carry on with batting around even when they've finished eating their lunch meals. It's not a reunion if they don't exchange recent events in their life when they rarely go out together (fuck's sake, the last time their group of friends was under the same roof was back in the hospital when Sicheng got himself hospitalized), so they did. Kun and Yuta are doing alright with their scientific research, and a few more advanced studying and they'll be promoted to their dream destination, NASA. ("If you get in, don't forget to name a star after me!" "Ten, you can buy a star for ten million." And probably ten stars for ten gazillions.") It's just now when Ten brought up the topic of Jaehyun being interviewed by their magazine so the talk shifted to Sicheng.

"The magazine will be out on nationwide stores by next month, but it'll come out earlier than usual as a Christmas special edition," Ten briefs with an articulate voice. "I've shown Sicheng the samples gotten from his interview."

Kun frowns, "are you sure that's not going to leak?"

"Of course not! I'm always cautious. Besides, if it ever gets leaked, then you and Yuta can back me up and obliviate people."

"Jesus," Yuta facepalms. "We are not your magic toys."

"Speaking of Jaehyun..." Yukhei trails off, tilting his head to Sicheng's direction. Upon realizing what he meant, the rest of them turned to Sicheng too. The shapeshifter blinks in confusion.

"What?"

"You don't update us often about your Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission," Yuta jeers. "Enlighten us!"

"That's right!" Ten chimes. "You haven't been to my house for the past two nights. Was there something that happened between you and Jaehyun?"

"Ah, haha, about that, actually, um, you see..."

Sicheng nervously glances at his friends, their looks so penetrating as if they want his answer right this instant. They do as a matter of fact, and Sicheng gulps at the pressure.

"I know you won't believe me but..." Sicheng falters. "I became Jaehyun's, uh, you know, his secretary."

"WHAT?!" They all chorus.

"WOAH HOLY SHIT FOR REAL?!" Yukhei hysterically laughs. "That's the best glow-up ever!"

"From being an intern to secretary real quick?!" Kun freaks out. "D-Did you actually overthrow secretary Kim?! The Kim Dongyoung?!"

"When did that happen?!" Ten shrieks. "I need to know!"

"Guys, calm down."

"What happened to Kim Doyoung?"

"How did you climb all the way from an internship to a high-ranking position in the hierarchy of the office?!"

"So you're actually interacting with The Jung Jaehyun?!"

"I SAID CALM DOWN!"

Sicheng slammed his hand to the table and abruptly stands up from his seat, everyone flinching at his curt fit of temper. Ten had a mini heart attack since he is the one seating closest to him. He catches the attention of the other customers too, gulping when he realized what he just did. Sicheng immediately bows at the strangers, muttering quick 'sorry's as he sat back down and meets his friends' concerned gazes.

"Sorry 'Cheng, we stressed you out," apologizes Kun.

"It's okay. Ugh, I'm going to tell it anyway." Sicheng huffs. "Doyoung is currently away in Europe for some foreign franchise whatever, and he's going to stay there for a whole month. Jaehyun still needs a secretary. Even when Doyoung is gone, the entire secretarial department is not enough. That night when I came home to my abandoned apartment because I didn't want to distract Ten, I got a call from Doyoung asking me if I can act as Jaehyun's secretary on account of his unavailability. I was talking to Seoul Assemblage’s secretary and journalist, what else was I supposed to tell? I couldn't possibly decline and disappoint him. Actually, it makes me wanna hide under a rock forever because he has high expectations for me."

There is a moment of silence engulfing them until Kun speaks with a motherly tone.

"We all know you feel pressured. If you want to talk, we're always here."

"Ah!" Jungwoo claps with a lightbulb metaphorically appearing above his head. "I know what can cheer Sicheng up!"

" _Boy,_ " Yuta hisses. "I can read your mind."

"It's a brilliant idea, right?" Jungwoo winks at the wizard. "Since we're done with our lunch meals, let's go shopping!"

It is awfully easy for his friends to drag him to nearby shops, only for them to shop for Sicheng's clothes. As much as he didn't want them to spend money just for him, they assured him several times about the good benefit and yet he's not so convinced.

Yuta pats him on the shoulder, "Sicheng, you're a secretary now. You're going to meet a lot of people and accompany Jaehyun all the time!"

"Shut the fuck up and stop! I'm just a temporary secretary, there's no way I can wear those flashy suits! I'm still an ordinary intern of low position!"

"Sicheng, secretary or not, you have to stop wearing the same blue suit everyday. You're going to get boring." Kun attests.

"And you won't have to borrow expensive suits from us!" Jungwoo adds. "You haven't returned my Window 00 blazer anyway."

"It's buried in my closet," scoffs Sicheng. "Please, I'm alright with just my blue suit."

"So you're going to show up on annual parties with the same blue suit?" Ten shakes his head in disapproval. "You have to keep an image as the CEO's secretary. Consider this deed done because we care for you more than you think."

"Fine. I'll give you a limit so you don't go overboard. Each of you can buy me a suit, neckties, shoes, accessories, anything; but make sure the cash overall totals only to 100,000 won."

"Roger sir!" Yukhei salutes. "I'll tend to the shoes!"

Ten grins at him. "I'll take care of the suit then."

"Gosh," Sicheng cringes. "You all are so intolerable."

"I want to choke you, so necktie is it," Jungwoo derides, earning a chop on the head from Kun.

Sicheng did nothing but watch his friends pick out products that suit his style best. Ten claimed Sicheng has the best body proportions, so Yuta had to get a suit jacket that blends well with Sicheng's broad shoulders. Kun chooses a pair of pants of the same color whilst Jungwoo ogled the cotton fabric neckties laid out orderly to aim for aesthetically appealing visuals. Yukhei goes for simple black shoes that have heels with decent height and texture.

"One outfit is not enough," Kun taps his chin. "Let's buy more suits."

"Hey! Don't forget the limit!" Sicheng chides.

"Don't worry dearie! Even if we exceed the limit, we'll pay for the extra ones with our money."

"God," Sicheng heaves. "Oh god."

It's six and night has fallen. Six in the evening and the sun had gone down, and a shapeshifter decides to lounge in a laid back café on the rundown streets of Hongdae along with his friend of a shapeshifter. They and their friends separated after shopping time, Kun and Yuta claiming they still had laboratory research to work on. No idea what Yukhei and Jungwoo are up to, but Sicheng assumes they'd be off to their gang's hideout and reload weapons. Typical assassins.

Sicheng sips on his Latte, clicking his tongue at the hotness. He gives Ten a look and initiates a conversation first. "Thousands of years and Mark and Donghyuck are about to be boyfriends just now. When did you and Johnny get together?"

"Oh would you look at that," Ten sips on his eight shot of coffee, let out a refreshed sigh and looks out the windows to greet the blue sky like an old friend. "Listen carefully because I'm about to tell you the most majestic story of young love that took place in the midst of the disorderliness of the feudalism system."

Judging from his friend's dramatic tone, Sicheng may not listen, but he'll try.

"I was a noble and Johnny was a knight. We barely saw each other and only crossed ways in the king's palace. It was even hard to meet during the crusades, and Johnny almost died! Had to teleport him to hell and treat his wounds thanks to my knowledge in medicine, and later on when the renaissance era occurred, the two nasty brats were born to ruin my reputation."

Unbeknownst to Ten, his storytime has turned into a solo monologue. Sicheng whips out a black notebook from the pocket of his trench coat to distract himself from the demon's exaggerated storytelling. Worse, he had no interest in his and Johnny's love life. They achieved the eternal love they deserved while Sicheng has gone through a lot. He hates to admit it, but to say he's not envious of their relationship is a lie. _I was nothing but a cheap tool for a cheat._

Sighing, Sicheng continues to flip the pages on the notebook as Ten's annoying voice prattles on about how he and Johnny first met under a Cherry Blossom tree (which had Sicheng wheezing in silence; he never knew there was a Cherry Blossom in European civilization). The pages were filled with classic handwritings in black ink, ruined by Mark and Donghyuck's rainbow colored pens. The majority of the content inside were Jaehyun's jotted notes, self-written plans and schedules, pinned letters and clipped pictures.

"Did you know? Donghyuck was the one who invented the weird fact about a lot of women hairstyles having hair covering their ears in Renaissance portraits. It's nothing like an old myth that the Virgin Mary got pregnant through her ear when she heard the word of God. Donghyuck really spread the word because he's Satan, we been knew. And about Mark, he sabotaged Michelangelo's painting of The Creation of Adam, that's why Adam's dick looks too tiny for his built size."

Sicheng squints at the page upon seeing Donghyuck's goofy doodle of a chibi cat holding an arrow. The arrow is pointing at the clipped pictures on the corner, the pictures being sketches of a man's full body. He peers over the handwriting in color red beneath the pictures, presumably written by Mark.

_'?? Dunno who this man is but ok cool'_

Sicheng observes the image once more, scrutinizing every detail. It's black ink engraved on a faded brown page, so there are no colors supporting the sketch. But if Sicheng was to visualize the sketch into reality, he'd do it. Smooth skin like porcelain, blemishless, no moles, wrinkles or scars marked his skin but a few freckles drawn across the bridge of his nose. Short, wavy fringes rested on his forehead like bangs, lips plump and irises glowing attractively. The man was wearing a hanbok for men. Gat, the traditional hat for men, complements his appealing features above his head. Durumagi and Baji completed his flowery hanbok, the kkotsin shoes not too detailed as it was too tiny in his feet to be drawn by details. Sicheng tilts his head in confusion, peering up to the lights from the ceiling. He has no memory of this man whatsoever nor he has seen him anywhere.

Ten doesn't stop from yattering about the past, "barely anyone knows I was one of the few fashionistas that designed European clothing for renaissance men. Strapped the wrong fabric into a little girl's skin once, only to find out it was Mark's granddaughter. Ew."

Sicheng exhales at Ten, about to lash his sarcasm. "What a lovely story."

"I know right!" Ten grins happily. It takes a matter of time for him to see the unsatisfied look on Sicheng. "Honey, you look cheesed off."

"Thank you. I needed you to say that so you would pay attention to me instead of blabbering about your magnificent past."

Ten assures him with an anticipating raise of his brow. "Anything you need?"

"I would like to ask you if you've seen this man anywhere," Sicheng positions the page in front of Ten's face, pointing at the sketch clipped on the corner. "Well? Any idea?"

Ten furrows his eyebrows. A few seconds passed till he glances at Sicheng with bafflement splotched all over his face. "I've traveled in almost every places of this planet yet I don't recognize that man. He's wearing a Hanbok so he probably lived here in Korea."

" _Lived_ ," Sicheng emphasizes. "You think this sketch just invented a fictional man or–"

"What the fuck is that thing you're holding anyway? A notebook?"

"Jaehyun's. Gave it to Mark and Donghyuck for them to analyze, so they have contributions in my mission."

"Well–" Ten chokes on his cold brewed coffee. "Y-You think it's you, Sicheng?"

"No idea! I mean, this man looks kinda beautiful. I don't think I looked like this."

"I'm saying this from my opinion, okay?" Ten raises his index finger. "High chances are this could be you. This could be the real Dong Sicheng no one has ever seen."

"And why do you believe that?"

"Did you even observe everything? Look closely." Ten nags, sliding his finger to point at a particular element of the full body art.

When Sicheng followed Ten's finger, he had to blink twice to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. On the sketch, Ten pointed at something poking out of the hair. Ten doesn't blench from the sudden revelation. Sicheng gulps. Now that Sicheng had his eyes on the feature, it seems bewitching that it lured him into a trance.

A pointy ear outshined the rest of the charcoal sketch under the glimmering golden lights of the café.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Johnten and Markhyuck are really escalating faster than Jaewin oh god + hope you have a great day!!♡
> 
> self-promo:  
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	3. Imagine the cities, Everywhere we could be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A revelation, an IKEA date, and a missing Johnny.

The next morning was not so bad for Sicheng as if he'd seen beautiful things enough for the day. Waking up to shopping bags flooding the floor and filling every space of the desk in his room is an exception.

"I feel like the male version of Paris Hilton," he mutters under his breath, frustrated at the way his friends splurged for him.

Last night, he swore to forget the evidence he and Ten were at odds over. He won't rely on a damn sketch. He'll have to ask Jaehyun, he will have to, and now he's standing a few feet away from the CEO inside his office, about to recite the weekly briefing.

“You have a meeting with the R&D department today. After the meeting follows a formal lunch break with Johnny– I mean the CFO, and then you’ll head straight to a seminar of another company in Cheongju according to your invitation. Your late brunch is settled on another conference with the managers of the company’s branches from all over the country.”

“Cancel everything today.”

“Pardon?” Sicheng widens his eyes. “You want me to clear your afternoon schedule?”

Jaehyun grabs his coat and smoothly wears it in a swift second. “I’ll go to Daejeon today and watch over the regular entrepreneurship.”

Sicheng quirks a brow at him. “But sir? That’s on your Monday schedule?”

“Something big will happen on Monday. Just do as I say. Fetch the car for my trip and after I leave, buy Jaemin his iced coffee. I’ll give you a raise.”

Jaehyun walks out of his own office, leaving Sicheng standing in front of his desk dumbfounded. _Something big?_ He tilts his head in confusion. _Can vampires foresee the future?_

An hour later and Jaehyun has left for Daejeon. Sicheng enters Jaemin’s office with an iced coffee on hand. The CIO waves at him blithely, ushering him to sit on a vacant desk situated on the corner of the office with the excuse of ‘we have to talk, of course we have to talk. I missed you.'

“Jaemin, the last time we saw each other was the other day.”

“I know.” Jaemin cackles. “I just happen to be very fond of you. Tell me if I make you uncomfortable in any way.”

“Not a bother,” Sicheng parries. “I have one question though. Is there anything going to happen on Monday or did I just lost track of the company’s calendar dates?”

Jaemin gawks at him for a moment. “If you’re thinking about something inevitable, then there is. A huge car accident, to be precise.”

“How can you say that?”

“Uhhh, vampires can actually predict the future,” Jaemin rubs his neck stiffly. “Why do you ask?”

“The CEO told me to postpone his afternoon schedule. That makes sense,” Sicheng taps his chin. “Johnny looked disappointed when he couldn’t spend time with his ‘one and only homie’.”

“The CFO is a sappy shit, I heard he proposed to his boyfriend in the middle of a Lantern Festival.”

“Yes he did, and this is coming from his boyfriend’s best friend.”

“You’re his _what_?! Holy guacamole, you’re sure one of a kind, Mr. Moon!”

“Yeah."

“Does Jaehyun hyung still overwork you?”

“I can’t find the precise answer to that,” Sicheng cards his fingers through his hair. “He bosses a lot, but I still somehow manage to keep up with his orders. Take for example the scenario that happened just now: within an hour, I fetched him a chauffeur service to bring him to Daejeon then I tended to calls here and there to postpone his entire schedule and make rearrangements for attendants of his meetings to adjust their schedules too. I had to deal with a whiny CFO which is certainly out of my business league. I went to the coffee shop too and bought you your daily dose of caffeine. I have weird stamina, I guess.”

“You’re really the second Kim Doyoung of the company.”

“I don’t cheat.”

Jaemin quietens, a bit taken aback. He mouths nothing more upon seeing the secretary serious with his straightforward demeanor.

The night falls quickly. Sicheng has finished signing the stacks of letters addressed to the government. He is about to slip out of the empty office as he clears his desk, time ticking past nine in the evening. Sicheng slings his suitcase over his shoulder and halts on his tracks when he hears voices inside the CEO’s office.

“ _Jae, what’s wrong? You never called me the whole week.”_

“I was busy.”

“ _Mr. Moon told me your schedules this afternoon were postponed. You can’t lie to me, Jae. I know something is bothering you.”_

“It’s nothing serious. I’m hanging up, you should focus on your job.”

“ _Jae–”_

A bewildered Sicheng stood beside Jaehyun’s door from the outside. It was silent to the point you could hear a pin drop which gives Sicheng an uncanny feeling. Silence, dead silence, Sicheng hears nothing else from inside the CEO’s office.

His heart sinks to his feet when Jaehyun suddenly appears next to him out of nowhere, casually leaning against the door frame.

“You’ve forgotten about me being a vampire, haven’t you? I can hear you breathing so loud.”

Sicheng bows, an angle of precisely ninety degrees. “My deepest apologies, sir. What I did just now was completely unnecessary.”

Despite Jaehyun’s glare being so penetrating, Sicheng doesn’t break the eye contact.

“I have to ask something. Why do you act so much like someone I know?”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence, sir. I don’t want to be the sole reason as to why you’re keeping yourself up at night.”

“No, I have to know. I know you’re hiding something from me. My senses are advanced, I can feel something is sketchy about you.” Jaehyun halts for a short while. “Who are you?”

“You really want to know?” Sicheng blatantly taunts.

“Be honest with me."

He takes a deep breath.

“Fine. I’m Dong Sicheng, centuries old, born to a family of shapeshifters with an ancestry of fairy blood. As much as I don’t want to say this, I’m an ex to Jung Jaehyun and will forever stay as that. I’m not just an intern named Moon Taeil, but Dong Sicheng. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going home.”

Sicheng flashes Jaehyun a forced smile. Nevertheless, Jaehyun didn’t fail to notice the stern look (it was more of a stink eye if he had to be honest) Sicheng is giving him.

The shapeshifter sashays away to the elevator. When he got in, he looks at his multiple reflections in the mirror, not bothered when he sees the sweat trickling down his cheek. No, it’s not his sweat at all, rather, it’s his tears. He’s crying without a change in his stoic expression, and it still doesn’t change when more tears stream down to his chin.

Sicheng dashes towards Ten’s apartment, running through the many turns and lanes till he is greeted by the dimly lit staircase of the apartment studio he has always been familiar with. He knocks loudly on the door, barging in right away after Ten swings the door open.

The look on his friend’s face gave Ten heart palpitations. Anxiety is splotched all over Sicheng’s being. His jittery movements explained it all, and Ten had to hold him tight to support his wobbly legs till he brings him safe to the couch.

Ten seizes his hands, rubbing them with comfort. “Sicheng? Are you okay?”

“No. I told him, Ten. I revealed my identity to him. That I’m Dong Sicheng. That I’m not just an intern named Moon Taeil, Dong Sicheng.”

“Oh jeez. I’m sure he won’t believe you especially because of your breed. He’ll think you’re just messing up his mind by pretending to take another man’s form." Ten sighs. Sicheng wasn’t sure if it was of relief or disbelief. "You need to rest. Sleep it all away, I’ll tell Johnny to deal with this since he’s the only person Jaehyun trusts.”

“But–”

“Go to bed. We’ll talk about this tomorrow morning.”

Like a bat out of hell, Ten hops onto Sicheng’s bed at six in the morning, haphazardly shaking the shapeshifter awake. Ten earns a groan from the younger man as the latter raises his head to see Ten grinning at him like a clown, his bed hair sticking outwards in various directions. Sicheng’s eyes are barely open, squinting at the demon hovering above him. He rubs his eyes in annoyance when he discerns no sunlight peeking out of the blinds hung on his window. It's way too early for him to be awake.

“What do you want?” Sicheng grimaces at him.

“Sicheng, it’s Johnny!” Ten shows him his phone, Johnny’s calling ID on the screen.

“What do I have to do with your boyfriend?!”

“He’s going to help you out!” Ten orates in a hushed tone, not wanting to bother the sleeping neighbors of the complex apartment. “It’s regarding Jaehyun, I swear.”

Sicheng jolts out of his bed in a second. He glances at the demon in surprise and grabs his phone, immediately pressing the green button to accept Johnny’s call. Ten sits on the edge of Sicheng’s bed, drawing a bit near Sicheng to hear the call on speaker mode.

“ _Ten? Is Sicheng with you?”_

“Yes,” Ten responds. “He’s actually holding my phone right now.”

“ _Okay_ ,” Johnny mumbles. _“I’ll be coming inside Jaehyun’s office in a minute.”_

Ten clicks the mute button so as to not cause any suspicion. They hear a few shuffles from the other line and when Sicheng hears the familiar door swinging, he becomes tensed with his back perched up.

“ _Good morning Jae. I came to deliver the statistics reports of the company’s financial stability._ ” A few more shuffles were heard from the other line. Ten assumes it’s Jaehyun flipping the papers on his desk. Johnny remains silent to let the vampire be comfortable with his presence. It's working.

“ _Say, is Mr. Moon really a shapeshifter?”_

“ _Yes, he is,_ ” Johnny insists. “ _And this is coming from someone whose boyfriend is his best friend_.”

“ _I see. There’s one thing bothering me ever since. Is Mr. Moon someone else you know?”_

“ _Yes. He’s not just an ordinary intern with red hair. You know him as someone who was once important to you.”_

“ _Someone important to me,”_ repeats Jaehyun softly under his breath, his voice barely audible to Johnny’s phone pocketed in his coat. _“Someone important to me huh. You know who he truly is?”_

“ _I do, sir,”_ answers Johnny. “ _But I won’t tell who for respect. I’ll leave him up to you yourself._ ”

It was silent for a minute. Ten was worried Johnny had lost signal without their awareness. So inaudible, Ten and Sicheng could hear a pin drop even from the other line. It is until Jaehyun speaks up, much to their letup.

“ _Alright, tell him to go to my office in an hour.”_

“ _Yes sir.”_

Johnny steps out of the office with hurried steps. He whispers to his phone, _“you heard that, Sicheng. He needs you.”_

Sicheng makes haste to the 42nd floor before cautiously heading to the CEO’s office. The fact that Jaehyun is waiting for him inside has his fingers in jittery, pausing when he can barely utter a word out. He hasn’t even seen Jaehyun that day, not even a glimpse of the eye, and yet he’s already uptight and troubled.

He waltzes towards the CEO’s office with severe alertness. Sicheng peeks in first to check if Jaehyun is inside, and when he sees him focused on his laptop, he walks in and pretends to be normal. He won’t let his anxiety eat him out, not now when he has made all the way here trying to calm himself down.

“You’re wearing a new suit,” Jaehyun talks first, much to Sicheng’s surprise. “It fits you.”

“O-Oh thank you, my friends bought it for me the other day,” Sicheng stammers. He looks down to his black suit adorned with golden floral patterns, silver jewelry adding up to the finery of his formal get-up.

“What you said to me last night, it still bothers me,” Jaehyun gestures for Sicheng to take a seat on the guest’s chair adjacent to his executive desk.

“I’m sorry. It was unnecessary for me to unleash at you like that. Please pretend nothing happened.”

“I’m not going to pretend nothing happened because that’s exactly the reason why I had Johnny bring you here. If you don’t mind, I’ll refer to you as the same someone who was once important to me.”

Sicheng’s pupils dilate. “But that’s–”

“No, I won’t call you your presumed name during business affairs and neither outside business affairs. As long as you prove to me you are someone I used to know, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Deal.” Sicheng impassively deadpans.

“What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? My natural hair color? My most embarrassing moment? My favorite number? The anniversary date of my parents?”

“I’m afraid I know all the answers to those,” Sicheng breathes in. “Black and white. Tiramisu and strawberries. It’s chestnut, I know you were born with chestnut hair. Your embarrassing moment was when you once mistook Mona Lisa for Johnny’s mother in front of a thousand audience. Your favorite number is 42 as far as I can remember because it’s the sum of our assumed birth dates, 14 and 28. And the anniversary date of Mrs. Jung and Mr. Jung is… 8th of February, way back in the Julian years of the 15th century.”

_No way._ Sicheng loves black and white because they were the colors of vintage films, and Jaehyun knows he wished to be an actor someday. The evidence is all there, in Sicheng’s existence itself, and no matter how Jaehyun sees someone with a small figure, red hair and ordinary office suit, he can’t help but see Sicheng in Moon Taeil.

“Then what about my ancestry?”

“Mr. Jung, I’ve always known you descended down from a family of expert mages.”

“I– No one’s supposed to know that.”

“Only I do,” Sicheng smiles fondly at him. “Because I was dead and is alive again; I was lost and now is found. ”

Jaehyun remains speechless. He has no words, he could only gape at the shapeshifter’s straightforward response.

“I’ll leave now, sir,” Sicheng takes his bow. “You can leave the reception at the German embassy to me.”

The sound of the tea being poured onto a mug rings satisfyingly in Sicheng’s ears. In actuality, he’s spacing out away from the world, reminiscing what happened before he got into the kitchen of the secretarial department's office. When Sicheng introduced himself as his real identity to Jaehyun, he wasn’t ecstatic about it. But he doesn’t regret it either. Sicheng doesn’t feel any remorse exposing himself to an ex just like that, however, he’s bothered about what Jaehyun might think of him after all these centuries.

“Mr. Moon?”

“Lizards suck!” Sicheng blurts out, almost tripping back on his own shoe. He turns around to see a worker from the secretarial department, startled from his abrupt presence.

The worker raises his eyebrows at him. “Pardon?”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Sicheng nervously giggles. “I was just, uh, thinking about, you know, lizards, because they um, look ugly and I–”

“Mr. Moon, the teabag!”

Sicheng averts his attention to the teabag he’s holding, gasping when it was inside the boiling water in the mug. He pulls it out, flustered of the mistake. He shoots the worker an awkward smile before placing the tea bag on the tray.

“Gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice,” Sicheng excuses, wiping his soaked hand with a kitchen towel.

“Mr. Moon, you’re a temp secretary. You can’t be like that now,” the worker sniggers at him. “You’ve seen me everyday in the secretarial office. But I’ve never had the chance to properly introduce myself, not even during the first time you sat on Mr. Kim’s executive desk. I’m Choi San, always honored to work with you, Secretary Moon.”

“Oh god, don’t call me that. I’m just a temp secretary,” Sicheng swats his head, blushing. “Nice to meet you Mr. Choi, just pretend you didn’t see me putting a tea bag the wrong way.”

“Don’t worry about that, I won’t tell anyone. I have to go now, I have to attend a PR meeting.”

“Okay, good luck.”

It’s another day of Sicheng hastily haring out of Ten’s apartment, waving farewell to his best friend who apparently is still busy styling his hair (and maybe with something else in the kitchen). Sicheng thinks he must be lucky that Ten’s not outside with him at the moment, for he’s seeing a car he’s not supposed to see parked in front of his complex apartment.

He sees the peach hair peeking out of the tinted window. Sicheng slams Ten’s door in an instant, squinting at the inevitable sight of Jaehyun leering out of his car window with the bright rays of sun scattering all over his face. Sicheng would be lying if he didn’t find Jaehyun’s exposed brown eyes alluring under the sun.

Sicheng makes haste down the stairs, barely hanging onto his leather suitcase. He approaches Jaehyun’s Mercedes in utter puzzlement. “Sir? What are you doing here?”

“Is it illegal to be here?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m asking you what are you doing here.”

“Isn’t obvious?” Jaehyun points out as he gestures for Sicheng to get in. “I’m going to drive you to work.”

Sicheng uncontrollably smiles. Like a fizz of soda had shaken up inside him, he jogs towards the other side of the car and gets in beside the driver’s seat whereon Jaehyun is.

“You don’t do this to your secretary.”

“Doyoung can handle himself.”

“So what came into your mind to the point you think it is a nice idea to fetch me to the office when the company is barely five kilometers away from here? Sir, for your information I have legs to walk with.”

“For your information, I was on my way to the company when I came across your scent.”

“Oh. Well, you can start driving now. And stop being affectionate with me, people might think we’re weird.”

“I'm sorry. I think the feelings didn’t fade one bit during the past centuries.”

Sicheng had been distracted ever since. When Xiaojun had to pass by his desk several times that morning to hand him the minutes reports from the PR team, the shapeshifter wasn’t disturbed by his presence one bit until the younger man had to put a spell on him with his pixies to get Sicheng back to report.

“What is bothering you so much, Sicheng?”

At that, Sicheng shot up from his seat.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Whatever,” Xiaojun rolls his eyes. “You just seem so distracted from work, that’s all. Did something happen?”

“No. Now, shoo away and make sure you’re standing at least 100 miles away from me.”

“You mean around ten floors below you.”

“Whatever!”

Xiaojun laughs at the fuming Sicheng before he scurries towards the elevator to escape his anger. When he was gone from Sicheng’s sight, just in time did the black box on the corner of Sicheng’s executive desk ring. Sicheng glances at the CEO’s office through the glass pane to see Jaehyun gesturing for him to come in. The shapeshifter turns off the black box before heading inside the CEO’s office.

“Is there anything to help you with, sir?”

“I have a meeting tonight so I need you to get me the accounting inspection report.”

“Sir, that’s due on Monday.”

Jaehyun raises his eyebrows tauntingly. “Today is Monday, right?”

Sicheng’s forehead creases in bafflement. He whips out his phone to check the date, gawking when the CEO is correct.

“Gosh, I'm sorry. I’m not keeping track of time,” Sicheng apologizes. Nonetheless, instead of dashing out of the office to retrieve the accounting inspection report as told, he pauses to take some time to look around Jaehyun’s grand office. There are lots of old furniture such as the sofa, and he can’t help but smell the antique pages of paper from the shelves. Sicheng crinkles his face in distaste. Mortals living in this modern era may find Jaehyun’s office appealing, but for someone who has lived for an eternity, Sicheng can tell Jaehyun’s finesse is getting ancient no matter how his office has the riches and wealth. In one word, he can describe it as boring.

“Do you ever get tired of sitting in that Pininfarina’s Aresline Xten chair?”

“I bought this for 1.5 million dollars.”

“Sometimes I look around your office and think for a moment. I think you need to shop for some new furniture.”

Jaehyun looks at him in discomfiture. “Why?”

“I’m going to fetch the car. You can’t avoid this now,” Sicheng points finger guns at him, sticking his tongue out. “Bye!”

“Hey! Come back this instant! You’re just a secretary!”

"Come to the lobby now!"

No matter how much Jaehyun yelled, it was no use. Sicheng has vamoosed to the parking lot to fetch a chauffeur service for the two of them. The vampire giggles, losing his focus on the development team meeting log laid out in front of him.

Sicheng is really something else to Jaehyun, even in a different person’s form.

Jaehyun sits beside the chauffeur whilst Sicheng is sitting alone in the passenger’s seat at the back. The ride is noiseless especially when none of them wanted to talk aloud with Jaehyun’s chauffeur being there. Though somehow, ever since Sicheng had Jaehyun shocked at his revelation, he felt comfortable around him, and so did Jaehyun towards Sicheng no matter how their past seems thrown into chaos.

Once they were dropped off in front of IKEA, Sicheng gets out of the car first to open the door for Jaehyun. They march to the entrance of IKEA as the chauffeur service zooms out of sight to return to the office. Sicheng is the first one to talk once they are inside, a diverse collection of furniture acknowledging them as soon as they entered.

“First and foremost, we need to replace your sofa.” Sicheng is quite certain vampires cannot read minds unlike witches and wizards. What’s in his mind at the moment is an alternation for the word jealousy, remembering the fact well that the old sofa in Jaehyun’s office is the same one he and Doyoung used to make out on.

“Sofa? I’m still alright with my sofa though?”

“We need you to get a comfortable nap. Your sofa in the office is turning rusty and creaky, so let’s buy a new one that has memory foam,” Sicheng insists. “I already have one in mind though. Let’s get that Gunnared beige VIMLE Sofa, the one with headrest.”

“Jesus, it’s not like there will be a lot of people visiting my office and sit on my couch.”

Sicheng scowls at him, “the CEO of SM Enterprises can visit you anytime and you wouldn’t want to disappoint him.”

“And why do you seem familiar with people of other companies? You’ve only been a secretary for a few days.”

“ _Your_ secretary,” emphasizes Sicheng. “Mr. Kim had me memorize the important workers of other companies you’re in collaboration with so don’t underestimate how I work in business.”

“Tch, Doyoung has too many tricks under his sleeve.”

“Like how he charmed you.”

“That was in the past,” Jaehyun scoffs. “For now, I want you to be open with me. Like an old friend, maybe, if you don’t want the two of us feeling awkward just because of what happened a long time ago.”

Sicheng hums, satisfied. They prance side by side around the massive shop to explore the other furniture displays and various interiors. 

“We need to get you a new shelf for new files that keep stacking up in your office– this shelving unit sounds cool!” Sicheng points at the black BROR shelving unit with cabinets. “This storage system is IKEA’s interpretation of heavy metal – sturdy, durable and flexible. Also easy to assemble, complete as needed and is robust enough to withstand moisture, dirt and heavy loads.”

“You sound like you memorized the whole description in IKEA’s online webpage.”

“Or maybe IKEA shares the same braincells as me,” Sicheng flips his imaginary long hair. He motions to a staff to get them a package of the shelf, assuring the worker that they’ll be back in a few moments after shopping for more. He ushers Jaehyun to the next room of more sold furniture. “Since you’re a vampire, you need new blinds to hang on your curtain. Let’s choose that–”

"I’m not affected by sunlight!”

“Still! You need blinds on your window! I mean, who doesn’t get annoyed by sunlight, vampire or not?” Sicheng shuffles around, caressing fabrics of curtains decorations hung around the massive room. It takes him some time to choose from plenty of choices till he comes across a white HOPPVALS Cellular blinds. “This might do. This energy-saving blind is inspired by bees. The honeycomb structure inside creates a layer of insulation which helps reduce heating costs. The cord is tucked inside safely out of reach of children.”

“Are you an IKEA staff that shapeshifted?”

“No!” Sicheng laughs as he tosses the packet of the cellular blind to their cart. “What else shall we get? You don’t have any rugs in your office.”

“I don’t need them.”

“You can’t be a CEO if you don’t achieve an appeal in your office,” Sicheng counters as he drags Jaehyun along to a corner of the room. “Let’s go for rugs.”

It takes them a few minutes to decide on a rug, much to Jaehyun’s impatience claiming ‘it’s just a rug!’ and to Sicheng’s disappointment towards Jaehyun’s lack of taste. Sicheng caresses the beige, flatwoven UGILT Rug, contented with its quality. “Ideal for high traffic areas like hallways. This rug is easy to vacuum and maintain.”

Jaehyun watches as Sicheng mildly throws the rug to their cart. “We should check out. These are enough.”

“One last thing!” Sicheng hushed with a finger held close to Jaehyun’s face. “The main lights at the center of your ceiling are starting to die down. We need to replace them.”

“I have a lamp on my desk,” Jaehyun argues. “I can work with a lamp. Chandeliers are a waste of electricity.”

“We can just have it turned off most of the time. The important thing right now is the visual enticement in your office so visitors won’t feel intimidated.”

“They’ll still feel intimidated because I’m rich.”

Sicheng snaps his fingers. “That’s the point! They’ll respect you because you have heavy pockets.”

The secretary shots his eyes up to the ceiling adorned with several chandeliers and fancy lights. Sicheng points his finger to the ÖRTOFTA Chandelier hung from the ceiling among other chandeliers. “This chandelier projects decorative patterns onto the ceiling and on the wall. It matches the atmosphere in your office too.”

Like the usual for some IKEA furniture that can’t be put into cart right away, Sicheng calls another staff and asks them to take care of their chosen chandelier for them. As they came back to the other room of cabinets and shelves to retrieve Jaehyun’s BROR shelving unit from the staff, Jaehyun volunteers to push their cart for them whilst Sicheng initiates another conversation.

“What else shall we get?”

“Check out Sicheng, check out.” Jaehyun hisses.

“For your information, my alias is Moon Taeil,” Sicheng pursues his lips together. “I need to buy myself some stuffed toys though.”

Minutes passed like a gust of wind. By the time Sicheng had signed papers for some other furniture to be brought to Jaehyun’s office by a delivery truck, it was time for them to pay at the cashier. The total exceeds the overall money in Sicheng’s bank account much to his perplexity. Jaehyun just sighs and whips out his black credit card.

"Oh god," Sicheng bows at him, mortified. “I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s alright. Just know you’re not supposed to act on things before actually thinking about the consequences.”

“Exactly why I spent a lot with your money. I didn’t even look at the prices,” Sicheng facepalms. “I’m really sorry.”

“Just be grateful my ancestors handed down their silver spoons from their mouths.”

As soon as Jaehyun’s chauffeur service arrived, they rode back to the office with some of the packages dumped at the back of the car. Jaehyun told the chauffeur they could move them in the office sooner or later much to Sicheng’s enthusiasm to volunteer.

Just like the previous one, the ride this time was silent as no one dared to talk. The chauffeur dropped them off to the office as Jaehyun strides towards the elevator. Sicheng did the same, trailing closely behind Jaehyun as the temp secretary he is. It takes them long to show up on the 42nd floor. When they did, the entirety of the secretarial department looked at them as if they were deers in headlights.

“Where have you been?” San is the first to ask, confusion drawn all over his face.

“There is no schedule for the two of you to be out of the office, is there?” Questions the leader of the department, Kim Hongjoong.

“Was it a last minute call?” The inquirer, Song Mingi, butts in.

“Pardon our curiosity, Mr. Jung. But what did you do?” Park Seonghwa bows at them. “Excuse us if we’re being nosy.”

Sicheng freezes. Jaehyun could almost hear the shapeshifter’s blood flowing rapidly throughout his body in fear. Sicheng looks at Jaehyun nervously as if to telepathically beg help from him. However, Jaehyun just nods in response and gestures for Sicheng to deliver something. Sicheng turns to the eight people of the department staring at them, patiently waiting for the answer to satisfy their curiosity. Sicheng gulps, though he musters the courage to speak when Jaehyun gently patted him on the back.

“I- Um, we had a productive conversation about the overall affairs and duties of those at our company.”

“Ah, is that so?” Says an administrative committee, Jeong Yunho. “Our apologies for interfering. We didn’t know it was a private schedule.”

“It’s alright,” Jaehyun assures them. “Get back to work. Ensure if the organization's activities are in line with its objects. This needs to be finished by the end of the day.”

“At your service!”

The secretarial department members went back to focus on their work under Jaehyun’s command. Lots of flipped papers and busy hustles were heard from the secretarial office as Sicheng and Jaehyun made their way to the latter’s office. Jaehyun heads straight to his executive desk to perch up calmly on his chair whilst Sicheng flops himself down to the nearest couch.

“What was that back there?”

“I don’t know! They seemed to be suspicious of us,” Sicheng crosses his arms. “Let’s just hope they don’t see through our lies.”

“Shit,” Jaehyun curses. “This is the first time in my lifetime I had to tell a lie.”

“It was obligatory in both our cases.”

“Whatever.”

Sicheng glances at Jaehyun, who is skimming a record of the organization’s reports as if he hadn’t just gotten out of a situation on the verge of a crisis. Sicheng thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to communicate with a CEO who at the same time is his ex, especially when he himself is just a temporary secretary.

“So how is Mr. Kim doing?”

Jaehyun upends the circulated reports in his hands.

“I don’t know.”

Doyoung flops on the swivel chair, aligning all the paperworks by tapping them against the table. He had been doing nothing all week but work and do business, barely having time to check up on Jaehyun and worst, Jeno.

His head is about to ache, nausea following close. He can feel it. Almost.

_What the fuck?_ He ponders, _I didn’t drink at all. In fact, I never drank in such a long time._

Before Doyoung could stand up from his seat, came in the empty conference room was the senior managing director of the company they’re in collaboration with. Park Jinyoung, his nameplate says, and Doyoung swears he heard that name before.

Jinyoung has two mugs on each hand. He wears a smile as he places down the other in front of Doyoung. He grabs a chair and sat next to Doyoung.

“Hey there,” the director greets.

“H-Hello."

“Drink up,” Jinyoung prompts. “I know you’re feeling stressed. Work is really a whole lot of load.”

“I know right,” Doyoung takes the other mug. “I feel like all these paperworks are alcohol in solid form. Must be the wizards’ magic.”

Jinyoung laughs.

“I have something to ask though,” Doyoung falters. “… Have I met you before?”

“We were in the same meeting just a few hours ago.”

“No, not that. Have I met you outside business relations?”

Jinyoung pauses. He settles down his half-filled mug on the table. “If you’re really curious about it, then the answer is yes.”

Doyoung’s curiosity grew. “Where? When? How? First off, who are you?”

“Jinyoung. I’m Park Jinyoung,” he fixes his tie as every man’s habit it is. “CIO to Lullaby Entrepreneurs.”

“If you said we met outside a business, then you should introduce off-business.”

“Fine,” he gives in. “I’m Park Jinyoung. The man your mother used to cheat with.”

The clouds were turning dark, a time for almost everyone to go home, take a leisurely stroll in the park with dazzling lights or of course, dive into their softest bed sheets and fall asleep. As for Sicheng, it's his cue to leave the office to head home, but not before he halts in his tracks in front of Jaehyun's office where the latter is standing, tapping his shoe impatiently as he glares at the wall.

"Mr. Jung? Is anything the matter?"

"Have you seen Johnny?"

"No," says Sicheng. "Aren't you supposed to be at a meeting right now?"

"I am. I can't attend without the CFO."

Sicheng presses his lips, "You can excuse his absence for the attendants of the meeting."

"Johnny never leaves me hanging. I've been calling him for the past hour because I need his accompaniment, but his phone is turned off."

"Sir, I don't think you need his accompaniment. It's just a meeting focused on updated minutes and reports according to the log."

"Still," Jaehyun presses. "It's sketchy. Johnny's not in his office. I checked every CCTV footage and he was last seen leaving the company at five o'clock after a conference with Jaemin. And he has his phone turned off? Fishy."

"You can't let yourself be bothered. Do I have to escort you to the meeting?"

"No thanks, I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay," Sicheng rotates his joint freely to adjust his coat hanging off his shoulder. "Have a good evening. Don't overwork yourself."

Before he could turn around and saunter off to the elevator, Jaehyun opens his mouth to call out his name. His name.

"Sicheng, be safe on your way home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I'm not lying omg I really had to open up IKEA's website and look for the items,,, bruh my parents saw my screen and thought I was gonna move out
> 
> \+ have a great day/night!! I love you all uwu I hope you're as hyped as I am for the dreamie's mv tonight <333
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	4. Running the headlines, For everyone else to see

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A car accident, Sicheng's 'me time' by the river, and another day in the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [link to Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/mmt9xtv75qt9tvzth27j11u3m/playlist/24mEBTuKoYFvn0OrgkI5q9?si=inDDcjehSvaFoM5PLJhZbQ)

When Johnny isn't in the office without notice, he's skipping on purpose. And by skipping, we mean going out on a date with Ten.

It's night, they're out on the sidewalk of Myungbo crossroad together with Mark and Donghyuck, who on the other hand were much cringier than Johnny and Ten themselves. Under the shimmering bulbs of the street lights, Christmas lights hung on trees and posts and the LED signs of nearby signs, they can totally discern Mark's ghastly green face as Donghyuck clings onto his arm. A romantic sight, anyone could say, except for the cambion-werewolf couple.

"Dude, you need to control your bro." Ten whispers to Johnny. "Donghyuck is exaggerating, don't you think?"

"Let him be. It's not the Donghyuck I know when he's not like that."

"Hm, okay."

"Ten hyung!" Donghyuck calls out mirthfully, much to Ten's distaste. "I will buy you ice cream. What flavor do you want?"

"Boy now, don't flatter me just because I'm dating your big bird brother."

"I'm just fond of you!" Donghyuck whines. "Why do you hate me so much? I want to be loved you too!"

Ten's lips twitch upward from the cringe, "well, would you look at that. You just want to befriend a demon."

"No! I'm not into supernatural racism or something, I've taken a liking to you because you dominated Johnny hyung's heart which no one in the past ever did."

Mark stays silent with his arms crossed on his chest. On the other hand, Johnny watches the scene unfold right before him, his eyebrows raised to the peak of Mount Everest in shock when his boyfriend is literally one second from ripping his brother's throat. Or so.

"Fine!" Ten stomps. "Fuck our past, but I'll never forget the shady pranks you pulled on me during the 19th century. Buy me vanilla flavor. Not anything fruit flavored, okay?"

Donghyuck beams at his response, yelling a cheerful 'roger!' before dragging Mark to cross the intersection road with him. Johnny keeps his eyes on them to see if they crossed the intersection safely to get to the ice cream parlor on the other side before Ten snaps his fingers to catch his attention.

"I feel like it's going to be beautiful tonight," Ten comments as he gazes upon the dark blue skies. "Don't you think so?"

"Yeah," Johnny laughs. "Just worried about Mark and Donghyuck. What's your plan anyway, and why did you have Yukhei and Jungwoo persuade Mark to go with us when he didn't even want to go with Donghyuck to begin with?"

"It's a double date," huffs the cambion. "Trust me John, I know what I'm doing. It's a little mission where everyone in our friend group participated."

"When did you plan this?"

"Last Friday when we were out for lunch."

"The day you bought Sicheng some new clothes?"

"Exactly."

Johnny tenses, "Ten, I might lose it."

"I swear this is good. Sicheng actually thought of this idea and he's nothing more than a genius."

Minutes passed with Johnny and Ten chattering together like the typical long-lived couple they are. Romance is in the air, sure, but not when they turn to look at an excited Donghyuck cross the road with Ten's ice cream on hand. He ditched Mark alone still ordering two more ice creams and now he's recklessly crossing alone with the stoplights abruptly switching to green.

"Bitch," Ten clicks his tongue. "This ain't good."

Everything happened on a spur of the moment. A car took a wrong turn, hitting another vehicle to cause a continuous crash passed from one to another. The clamorous sound of metal and steel slamming against one another creates a thunderous volume, causing heads to turn around and look at the scenario. Even the sound of an engine's rev and the friction of wheels on the ground were on spot. Donghyuck's life flashes before his eyes, yet he can't do anything but freeze at the center of the intersection and be hit by a car.

They are werewolves, but they don't have the capability to sense things before they happen. Once the sound of violent crashes reached Mark's ears, it takes a few moments for him to process something was happening behind him. Johnny and Ten could only watch in horror, but then again, time was too quick for them to get moving and save a life or two.

Mark didn't need to turn around and see what was going on. He just knew it was something terrible, so he bolts out of the ice cream parlor and to the sidewalk crowded with people. They are surrounding the scene on the crossroad thus Mark had to squeeze himself through to make it in front. He doesn't glance first at Johnny and Ten who stayed still on the other sidewalk across the intersection. He would be lying if his heart didn't sink to his feet to see cars bumped against each other, their texture wrinkled so bad due to the strong impact of the crash. Moreover, a person's body is lying unconscious on the ground in front of a car.

Mark bends down to the ground next to Donghyuck, now straddling his head by his thigh. A wound has formed on his forehead, the blood flowing down his nose bridge and dripped past his chin. The sight was ghastly and it shoots Mark like a painful bullet straight to the heart.

He may have hated Donghyuck for all of these centuries simply because he was annoying, a bother, waste of time, but come to think of it; Donghyuck is the only one who willed to stay close to him. He did stay by his side, close and glued to his hips, even when they had to separate since Mark had to leave and make money for his family by being a servant to a renowned queen. Donghyuck always waited. He always waited patiently. Even during the epilogue of the French Revolution, Donghyuck stood before Mark to get him out of the palace and rescue him from the bloody era.

Past is past, but Mark is still Mark and Donghyuck is still Donghyuck. Donghyuck had always referred to them as soulmates, a deeper term for friends. Maybe Donghyuck loves him, maybe not. Mark hates him, but to what extent? No one but Donghyuck dared to do the daring just for Mark. Only Donghyuck, and that speaks a lot.

"Hey Hyuck," Mark gently slaps him on the cheek, an attempt to wake him up from the presumed deep slumber. "Wake up."

Donghyuck could've gotten up from Mark's thigh and say everything's just a prank. The slow beat of Donghyuck's heart makes him uneasy. It's the worst feeling. The ice cream Donghyuck was once holding has been abandoned as a splotch on the ground and it's way sadder when it was supposed to be for Ten.

"Hyuck," Mark calls once more. "Hyuck, this is absolutely not funny. I'm sorry I said mean things to you last time. I swear I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Hyuck please..."

In the meantime, Johnny was about to run towards Donghyuck whilst his heart palpitated, but Ten pulled him back by the collar and shook his head. "Don't jump in. Mark can take care of Donghyuck."

"But Hyuck is severely injured!"

"John Babes, if only you could listen closely," retorts Ten with a sigh. "You may not be able to predict the future, but you have advanced senses like vampires, right?"

It takes a few seconds for Johnny to comprehend what the cambion meant. He heaves a sigh and does as told, stepping back onto the sidewalk next to his unfazed boyfriend. Johnny lets out a laugh.

"Donghyuck is really one of a kind."

Ten rolls his eyes, "just like you."

"Genes are powerful, what can I say?"

Ten snorts at the werewolf's remark, but their giggles don't last long. It's only a matter of time before they avert their attention back to the center of the crossroad. Passersby were starting to get involved in the accident scene, the flashes and shutters from their gadgets adding up to the bustling chaos of the public.

Mark remains staring down at Donghyuck's fragile face, his lips plump as they always are. He caresses his cheek, not giving a care of the bystanders making a commotion around them as they rescue the other victims of the incident from inside their vehicles. Mark hitches his breath when he feels the younger werewolf's finger twitch. He feels a wave of relief when Donghyuck is conscious, he's alive, and he confirms that when Donghyuck blindly reaches out for his hand with weak, quivering fingers. Mark holds his hand tight as he watches his eyelashes flutter, slowly, so slow until he opens his eyes. He can hear his heartbeat. The sound of it thrumming slowly against his ribcage, the freshness of the blood being pumped throughout the cells in the body; signs Donghyuck is still alive.

"Mark..."

"Hyuck," he says. "You're not dying, are you?"

"No," Donghyuck chokes out a soft giggle. "It just hurts in the head. Not like I have brain failure or something. Maybe if you can just like... Uh, patch my forehead... Werewolves have inhumane skulls, but mine hurts."

"Donghyuck–"

"And let's get out of this crowd," Donghyuck hisses. "I might hyperventilate. Again."

Mark immediately does as told. He picks Donghyuck up with strong arms, the unsurprising buff muscles of a werewolf's human build, and Donghyuck is losing so much blood he can no longer comprehend Mark was actually carrying him in bridal style. His numb hands brushed against Mark's grip on him. After crossing the road with Donghyuck still in his arms, Mark lays him gently down on the ground. Johnny and Ten scurried over to help him. Mark worriedly rubs the young werewolf's grey hair, wiping the blood mixed with sweat beneath his chin. On the other hand, Ten still had the audacity to whine even in a situation as serious as it is now.

"See this Johnny, we could've been as romantic as this!”

“Ten, you could’ve died if you were in their shoes.”

"Johnny, we’re immortals.”

"Johnny hyung, Ten hyung, please! Help Donghyuck!"

"Okay okay, we will!"

Ten pursues his lips. "Ironic, but be thankful we have a first-aid kit in hell in case of an emergency."

"Then you better teleport that right here and now," Mark grimaces.

"Yeah Ten. Go teleport to hell or Donghyuck is gonna lose five pints of blood."

"Ugh," Ten facepalms. "Okay Johnny, cover me."

Mark scowls, "it's not like you're stripping your dick or something!"

Ten wryly smiles. "I may not be stripping my dick but I'd be stripping my identity as a supernatural creature if I don't get any cover."

They are not mages, magicians, and definitely not witches and wizards. Just three werewolves and a cambion hanging out together on a moonless night. Hence, none of them knew how to obliviate the people who saw Mark and Donghyuck on the car crash scene, and also Johnny and Ten serving as witnesses based on the footage caught by a surveillance camera. Thanks to their powers being limited, now they had to wait for news reporters, cops and ambulances to take care of the scene and have them interviewed so they could act like normal human beings or else they would have blown their cover. Ten even had to roast a random reporter for not thinking of the possible obvious when the possible obvious wasn't the truth at all.

"I know I'm not supposed to be asking this, but why do you have a first-aid kit with you when you have no bag...?"

"Excuse me, are you blind? Even a pro-con artist can figure this out. See this trench coat? I have deep pockets. Yeah, I place the first-aid kit here."

Johnny wheezed.

Speak of the first-aid kit and Ten shall bring it from the burning dimensions of hell and back to the living place of the earth just to patch Donghyuck's forehead. Thanks to Ten having studied a bit of medicine field as a noble during the medieval times, he did what he had to do and rolled a bandage around Donghyuck's head after sealing the wound on his forehead with cotton.

Mark and Johnny took care of the interviews as presumed witnesses. The ambulance offered them to take Donghyuck to the hospital but Johnny declined, saying they could take care of him themselves.

"But the wound on his head could've caused a cerebral fracture or worst brain damage."

"He's born special," says Johnny. "Don't worry, honest to God he has a rock-hard head. I mean, we're kind of different from–"

Mark slaps him on the buttocks. "You're exposing us!" He whispers.

"Well that's all," Johnny says to the microphones arrayed in front of him. "It's not a serious injury. Just take care of the harmed drivers and passengers of the cars. Good luck in clearing the mutilated vehicles too. We'll get going."

Truth be told, they actually were running late to a damn theater show. Ten counted and they're thirty minutes late, meaning they've been in the whole car crash scene for half an hour.

"None of this would've happened if you kept your enthusiasm to yourself and calmed your balls down just to give me my damn ice cream," Ten disses, giving Donghyuck an eye roll.

"Hey, at least I'm not blaming you for this ugly injury on my head. I still wanted to give you your ice cream."

"Keep talking, honey," Ten sasses. "Just be careful next time."

"I will," Donghyuck chimes. "Don't worry Ten hyung, I'll give you more vanilla ice cream in the future."

"And get into car accidents again."

"No, I promise I won't!"

Ten and Donghyuck giggle happily. It's almost as if they've been like that for the past years, but the genuine happiness sprawled on Ten's face was something Johnny himself has ever seen before except when he proposed to him by the stream of Cheonggyecheon. If Donghyuck can love Ten just as much as he loves him, then maybe he could trust Ten with his brother to make him joyous. Donghyuck is actually a nice soul; fight the ones he loves and he'll bite your head off in his wolf form. Sooner or later, Donghyuck will be Ten's brother-in-law, another family that can add up to his jolliness. If he marries Mark, their small family can extend into a happier one. Ah, how amazing would that be?

_Wait_ , _why am I thinking about Mark?_

"Are you alright?" Ten pats him on the shoulder.

"It's nothing."

"Stop glitching or else we'll bring you to the hospital for real."

"I won't let that happen," Donghyuck gleams at him. "It's a night the four of us are supposed to enjoy. I can't leave just because I got involved in a car accident."

Ten's lips twitch upward. "If you say so, then don't even open your mouth to complain about having watched the Phantom of the Opera for the umpteenth time."

When they reached the venue, the gates were already opened. They managed to get in despite being late and handed their tickets Ten afforded for the four of them. They went to their designated seats without disturbing the other audience who already achieved their peace of mind from watching the stage play.

Several minutes into the play have passed, and when they caught up to the part where the main lead accepts a marriage proposal from Viscout Raoul ("Oh sweet goodness, I could totally depict me and Johnny in that scene!" "Ten hyung, you won't want a weird phantom infatuated with you." "Shut the fuck up Donghyuck, you always ruin everything."), Donghyuck felt it. The dryness on his throat, the urge to satisfy his thirst. It's normal for werewolves to get thirsty at random times, but to him, this is the worst timing he ever encountered. He gave the ice cream he bought for himself to Ten as a 'Special I Love You Gift From Donghyuckie' and as a replacement to his wasted one, and ever since then he hasn't swallowed anything.

"Ten hyung," he whispers to the demon sitting beside him, Ten's gaze fixated on the visuals of the stage props and actors. "Can y–"

"Shh!" He shushes at the same time as the phantom recites his dramatic lines emphasizing his broken heart. "I've never watched this, so quiet now okay?"

"No!" Donghyuck whispers again. "I just wanted to ask if swallowing your own saliva can satisfy your thirst."

Ten squints. " _What_?"

"Does swallowing your own saliva satisfy your thirst?"

"Motherfu–" Ten takes a deep exhalation in, restraining himself from throwing a fit just to give Donghyuck a slap on the face in the middle of a fucking theater. Ten whips out a bottle of water from his pocket, his eyes not leaving the play on stage. He hands the bottle to Donghyuck.

"Hey, can't you like put a barrier on me or something so I won't be seen drinking inside?"

"Not my fault you have to do something prohibited here."

"Oh c'mon!" Donghyuck mutters.

"The lights are dimmed. You won't get caught."

The young werewolf whisper-yells, "Ten hyung!"

"You just have to drink water!"

"Hey!" Johnny hushed as he grabs Ten's thigh with his hand. "Quiet down. We're distracting the other attendants."

Ten did quiet down, but Donghyuck didn't. A few seconds later when Johnny is immersed once again into the stage play, Donghyuck went back to pestering the cambion through his soft whispers.

"Ten hyung, you know that I love you right? Like, thank you so much for meeting Johnny hyung and making him happy everyday especially when he's tired from all the work bullshits, thank you for deciding to stay with him forever, I'll even make sure to be the priest on your wedding day! Thank you for patching my head when I felt like my skull had been split into two and did you know you're so beautiful with Greek god proportions and vi–"

Donghyuck felt something hit him on the left chest, perceiving a flick of the light strike around him in a circular motion. Left in a daze, it takes him five seconds to process how no one around them was bothered as if anyone never saw the blue light of wave that bright flow across the whole theater. He did see Mark taken aback by it too, but that didn't stop him from focusing on the musical. Johnny and Ten remain unfazed.

"Well," Donghyuck murmurs in delight. "Thanks Ten hyung. You're the best."

Ten doesn't answer, not sparing Donghyuck a glance as his attention stays fixated on the stage, where the actors' voices began to harmonize and resonate throughout the venue. With a grin, Donghyuck sighed happily and uncaps the water bottle, immediately consuming the distilled liquid out of sheer thirst. He empties the bottle in three gulps.

"Good job Hyuck," mutters Ten. "Stay hydrated."

Ten didn't even look at Donghyuck's side and continues to observe the actors' enthralling movements. That led Donghyuck into confusion. He manages to catch the grin on Ten's face despite the dim lights, lights that gave emphasis on the stage lights for the fascinating charms to work on the audience like a casted spell. Donghyuck scratches his head in perplexity. Telling anyone to stay hydrated in the middle of a musical he'd been dying to watch for ages is not a very Ten thing to do, except it's obvious he'd do it to Johnny. Within an hour during their journey from Myungbo to the venue did they get close and feel comfortable with each other due to Donghyuck's shameless socialization with Ten, but to tell him a good job for merely drinking water at this moment…

_Weird._

He'd gotten bored of watching the musical, biting his nails as his habit for half of the performance. And yet he's still suspicious of Ten's sudden behavior. He just told him a few words that seemed straight out of the heart, and he's overthinking? Stay hydrated, yeah he'd do that, but it can't be helped his anxiety is starting to kick in.

For the rest of the play, no one among the four of them talked. Not even Donghyuck, who can't stand not talking for an hour when not asleep. But he swore he felt his stomach churn irregularly, almost as if he ate rotten cheese for lunch meal eight hours ago. Thing is he never ate anything for the past few hours, not even an ice cream wiped off the ground, so Donghyuck dismissed the butterflies in his stomach as the hydrochloric acid creating a bubbly reaction in his insides.

Sicheng doesn't actually know his best friend has a date with his boyfriend and two other werewolves, but he didn't barge into Ten's locked apartment to begin with. He didn't even choose to head towards his usual route leading to Ten's place and went the other way around. Sicheng arrived by the bank of the Han river, the same place where he was tossing stones in sheer madness because of a Jung Jaehyun just a few weeks ago.

He didn't come to toss stones this time. Sicheng sat on the plain. Unbeknownst to himself, he broke down. Tears streamed their way down his eyes, his vision turning hazy he could actually see phosphenes. It's beautiful to see the lights of Seoul laid out in front of him, illuminating the views of the night at a time like this, but Sicheng couldn't help but shut his eyes, totally worn out. He's tired, he'd only realize that.

He'd been working for a good amount of time at the company, and he'd always been deadly stoic when it comes to his job. He never realized his soul was being torn because of the amount of work shoved into his face mainly because he'd always take them seriously in order to not disappoint anyone. The job is hard, he had to shift from places to places, go up and down from floor to floor, accompany Jaehyun and other co-workers here and there, inside and outside the company. The weariness in him had been carved into his whole being for a long time now, and thanks to himself being oblivious it had hit him like a meteor only now.

"God," he heaves. "I'm so tired."

He has a lot of contributions to the company. He didn't even last as an intern for a month. He escalated quickly to being a temp secretary thanks to Doyoung having exceeding records much to other companies' desire to scout him and have him work under their labels. Doyoung is busy. Sicheng was tasked to replace him temporarily on behalf of his absence in South Korea. Sicheng was entrusted with a job he didn't even know how to take care of. It was a huge advantage to his Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission, but there were too many burdens. Not to mention he has to go to a minutes meeting with Hendery tomorrow. He has a long day ahead, not tomorrow, not on the day after tomorrow, but every single day.

Sicheng is tired. He cards his red hair in distress. One thing he never forgets to overthink is Jung Jaehyun. When he said 'be safe on your way home', it didn't help either.

Come to think of it. Will Sicheng find his true form soon? Will there be a day when he finally shapeshifts into the real Dong Sicheng, brunette hair and pointy ear completing his flawless features? After all the years have gone by without seeing each other, he and Jaehyun became comfortable with each other in a span of one day. After all the times they neglected each other, cut off ties relating to one another due to the past shattered in shambles, they acted like they were friends again. The Jaehyun and Sicheng each other knew. Sicheng appears as a red-headed petite male with a tenor-ranged voice, though he was certain that Jaehyun was sure that he is Sicheng. The Sicheng he knows is inside him and beyond more than a man with sweet vocals.

What was the cause of their dark past anyway? Sicheng sighs. He still can't believe it. The fact he talked to Doyoung, the lone man that caused it all. He earned Doyoung's trust to take care of Jaehyun. Doyoung, the sane witch that charmed Jaehyun to fall for him and to cheat on Sicheng. How funny. How laughable that such a cheating moment could bring a huge impact to Sicheng's life and break his fragile being like nothing but glass.

Who else is there to blame? Sicheng believed in Jaehyun. They swore to be lovers forever, and Doyoung was once nothing but a close acquaintance of Jaehyun from the royal palace. Sicheng entrusted his whole life to the vampire, heard him promise to protect him and stay by his side no matter what happens. Everything crumbled down because of Doyoung. Kim Fucking Doyoung. The guy he had phone calls with regarding Jaehyun and business, the guy that praised him for his efficiency but won't praise other people in the company when they work harder than Sicheng, the guy that caught him shapeshifting in the restroom and revealed he is a witch himself as if Sicheng didn't know, the guy he saw making out with Jaehyun not once but twice. Once during their long gone past and once in this modern lifetime. Sicheng clenched his chest. It was all because of Kim Dongyoung.

_Wait_ , Sicheng hitched his breath. If Doyoung is a mage, then perhaps he could read minds?

_Oh no._

But why? He was in a form of nothing but a mere intern. A reliable intern, that is, and thanks to Dejun and Jeno being blabbermouths, the news of him being reliable reached Doyoung and the whole company. Then bam, there it is, he's popular. Be an intern, be reliable, gain the renowned secretary of the country's trust, be a temp secretary and become close to the CEO you once knew as your most beloved. That was it. A summary of Sicheng's modern life.

Sicheng stares upon the moonless night. He's still crying, his eyesight blurry with the hot tears. Without hesitation, he lied down on the plain with hands under his head as a pillow. Under the black canvas of skies did he shapeshift into a black cat, feeling the urge to curse anyone that comes across him due to uncontrollable rage.

A black cat sleeping by the Han river for the rest of the night. His name is Dong Sicheng, a man with a broken heart.

Ten fell asleep in a beat of the heart. Yes, that fast, and he didn't come home or whatsoever. He fell asleep as soon Johnny dropped him on his bed, on Johnny's bed, in his house that Ten was too tired to whip out his phone and check on his best friend. Either way, even if he didn't know Sicheng's brain was being an ass that night, Sicheng would've never picked up his phone if he called or texted.

Ten stayed at Johnny's place for the night. He doesn't know about Mark and Donghyuck however, too occupied to flirt with Johnny all the way home till he fell into a slumber and slept on Johnny's bed with him. The two younger werewolves probably fled to the underground gang's hideout under the care of Jungwoo and Yukhei, so there was nothing for Johnny and Ten to worry. The thing they're patient about is the way they'll see each other's faces next to each other by morning, with the radiant sunlight peeking through Johnny's blinds.

In the meantime, the sun is out and it's eight in the morning. Two boys walked by the Han river like the best buddies they've always been, both on the way to work.

"You're saying the CEO didn't come home last night?"

"Yeah, Jaehyun hyung must've slept in his office for the night or something. I don't know, he barely talks to me these days."

Jeno snorted, "he probably talks to Mr. Moon more than he talks to you."

"Shut up. We're all busy men okay?"

"Oh my god, would you look at that! It's an angel fallen from heaven!" Jeno squeals as he ran down the riverbank's plain. Jaemin peers over to see a black cat sleeping in the open. Jeno bent down to the floor to pat the cat and caress its fur as Jaemin came down from behind. Jaemin raises an eyebrow.

"Jeno, that's a black cat," he says. "We're going to be unlucky if that jumps out of your arms and walk past us."

"Shh! It's sleeping!" Jeno hisses. "It's having a nice sleep. It must be dreaming."

"Uh," Jaemin utters. "Didn't know cats could dream too."

"Who cares about doomsday? Look at it, it's so cute," Jeno cooes, patting the cat once more till he sneezed.

"Bitch, you have allergies."

"Whatever," Jeno rolls his eyes.

The cat stirs awake, opening one eye first before it blinks at the sight of Jeno. The cat stares at him, a moment of silence for them. Jaemin was close to losing his shit, unable to handle the heavy atmosphere until Jeno screeches. Jaemin narrowed his eyebrows, seeing the cat did nothing wrong and yet, Jeno has his eyes widened. Heck, the cat didn't even move from its spot.

"Y-You're– ?!"

"Jeno? What has gotten into you–"

Jeno didn't listen to his friend and kept his attention on the furry. "Oh my god, what were you doing out here?! You slept in the cold throughout the night with no cover?!"

"Huh," Jaemin ponders out loud. "I didn't know witches can communicate with animals."

"Can you shapeshift right now?" Jeno asks. The cat meows in agreement much to Jaemin's confusion.

"What's happening–"

With a flash of light, the cat's body grew longer, its paws transforming into actual limbs. The single irises on its yellowish orbs dissipated into full circular eyes with pupils. Its tiny feet turned into humanoid feet wearing shoes. Its hairy face softened into the face of a young man, the whiskers slowly disappearing and its snout turning to a finely shaped nose. The body fur shifted into a crumpled suit and alas, a human appeared before them.

Jaemin froze in shock. "Wait, what? Mr. Moon? You–?"

"Sorry to alarm you," Sicheng finally spoke, voice a bit croaky from the transformation. "I'm late for work, aren't I? And what are you doing here?"

"You didn't alarm us," Jeno squeaks. "My default state is alarmed."

"We used this longer route to take a morning jog," Jaemin answers. "We were on our way to work when Jeno saw you."

"This is the same suit you wore yesterday," Jeno points at the suit Sicheng is wearing. It's wrinkled due to Sicheng lying down on a surface at a freezing night. Even the necktie adorning his collar is crooked. Jeno presses his lips. "You don't look presentable at the moment. Want me to fix it for you?"

"Please," Sicheng pleads. "Then we can go to work straight after."

"I do wonders," Jeno says proudly as he pokes Sicheng's suit, magically refashioning Sicheng's floral suit. He irons it with just a snap of fingers and converts the black color of the fabric into gold. "There you go. I heard you have a meeting with the press about the rising sales of the company's stock this afternoon, so the least I could do is make you look formal."

"Thank you. I look expensive though."

"Then that's good, the press will be intimidated by you."

"Mr. Moon, one more thing," Jaemin calls.

"Yes?"

"The cat ears on your hair, uh... You haven't fully transformed into a human yet."

When Sicheng says he is tired, he means it. But how could he look tired when he's wearing a golden suit that completes his formal outfit, stepping into the company's lobby whilst his shoes produce sounds against the marble floor and head straight to the elevator? He doesn't look tired at all, anyone could say that. His vague makeup is on point and so is his styled hair. As if he had the time to gel his hair and put on makeup. Everything was thanks to Jeno's magic.

Sicheng separates with Jeno and Jaemin once they got off the elevator. Sicheng stays behind until he reaches the 42nd floor, fingers crossed that he left his suitcase on his executive desk last night. Before he could even pivot his heel towards the hallway that leads straight to the CEO's office, he heard his name resonate from behind.

"Mr. Moon!" Yells a frantic Hendery, running up quickly to him with a bunch of documents on hand. "Hurry! We have a meeting with the planning team. Get your pen and paper now, we need to take notes of labeled minutes!"

"Woah woah woah, calm down," Sicheng raises both of his hands. "Pen and paper? I can get my laptop for that."

"No, you better not!" Hendery exclaims. "The director doesn't like typing sounds. We're going to be late, oh no, we have to get going–"

Within the next fifteen minutes, Sicheng grabbed papers and a pen from under his executive desk and rode the elevator with Hendery in a rush. When they reached the designated floor, out of respect did they bow to the higher workers that were present in the hallways until they made it to the respective office where the meeting would be held. Hendery grabbed Sicheng's arm and ushered him to take a seat on the edge of the long, rectangular table, the team members eyeing them for a short while before proceeding to skim the documents laid out in front of them. Sicheng perches up in his seat, feeling the tense atmosphere inside the office. The head of the planning team hasn't arrived yet and the meeting won't begin without his presence. Sicheng can't deal with his own impatience, so the only thing he could do for now while waiting is scan through the stamped paperworks Hendery had brought along. Best distraction, that's a doubt. Sicheng could say it aloud himself. His active thoughts will never go away.

What if he never finds his true identity in the end?

_No_ , he answers himself. _I'm an immortal. Life is long. I'll never die. I'll find it even if it takes me decades._

Sicheng has no patience, but for sure this time he can wait. He knows how to wait. He will always wait no matter what it takes him to.

He snaps from his out of earth experience when Hendery taps him on the arm before he stood up from his seat. The rest of the planning team did the same as well as Sicheng in greetings to the head that waltzed in the conference room. They began the meeting in an instant, but the details of the meeting didn't prevent Sicheng from contemplating with his inner self.

"This is a strategic project planning focusing on new-growth triggers," Hendery mentions. "I say we share our thoughts regarding this."

"Indeed. Sharing our ideas will advance into forming the vision," claims a woman from the production department, Yerim.

"We need to increase the budget for research and development," Sooyoung chimes.

"It has to be neither high or low," declares an employee from the marketing department, Seungwan. "Irene took care of this."

"Yes," replies Joohyun. "According to my calculations, the most decent record we can reach is 5.8 percent."

"Okay," Seulgi says. "5.8 percent it is."

"We can set for the new-growth triggers now," Woojin shifts aside the topic. "We shall see first if the company will benefit from releasing more products and promoting sales."

"We can continue the usual business without anything new, just in case it doesn't work." Bangchan remarks.

"Either way, we have to think of some ways that can help escalate the records of the company." Changbin comments.

"Alright then," Seungmin says. "Let's proceed as planned."

With all due honesty, Sicheng can no longer comprehend what they were discussing. The white lights give emphasis to the office atmosphere. The blank board waiting to be filled in the corner and the unused projector zooms into the business feeling. The sound of Hendery shuffling papers on the table meets his ears. Sicheng wasn't distracted in the littlest bit.

He and Jaehyun were so comfortable with each other for the past days that Sicheng had completely forgotten the real reason why he had to hop into Jaehyun's life again. They smiled, laughed and worked together as if nothing happened. The sincere looks Jaehyun sent him from time to time, through windows and glass panes, they were enough to prove Jaehyun sees him as Sicheng. Jaehyun believes he is the Sicheng he knows, the Sicheng he swore to spend his life with. The Sicheng he promised an eternal love with.

_I shall tell him soon_ , Sicheng internally sighs in devastation. _Ugh_.

But when can he tell him? When can he talk to Jaehyun without forgetting his intentions that had been there with him since day one? When can he stop hanging out with Jaehyun as if they were friends for life instead of broken lovers? He's so distracted his ears are starting to ring. Ringing and ringing, as if the sound is trying to ruin his reputation as a reliable secretary. Ring. It's still there, and Sicheng glances at the people around him to pretend he's still listening to the meeting.

Except it's clear he's not listening at all. When he tilts his face up to catch a glimpse of the other employees, their eyes fell on him at once. Sicheng gazes at them in utter confusion, creasing his eyebrows.

"Mr. Moon," Hendery whispers, tapping his thigh from under the table. "Your phone."

Sicheng jolts up from his out of earth experience and blinks twice. He hovers his attention to his phone resting beside the pile of documents in front of him, immediately turning off the incoming call without sparing to check the caller ID. Sicheng looks back at the judgemental stares from his co-workers, absolutely abashed, his cheeks blushing tomato red.

"I'm sorry," he says, mortified. He stands up from his swivel chair and does a ninety-degree bow. "My sincerest apologies. I forgot to–"

"A warning," presses the head of the planning team, Byun Baekhyun. "First warning to you, Mr. Moon. Phones are not allowed during meetings and if they are, they are obligated to be muted."

Sicheng was ticked off at the way he said it as if he didn't know the rules in the first place. When the head motioned for Yerim to continue her report, Sicheng flopped back down to his chair with a sigh. Hendery worriedly glances at the oblivious secretary, whispering to check up on him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sicheng mumbles. "Knock me down with a feather."

"The meeting is almost over," mutters Hendery. "Don't abuse your authority."

Another batch of twenty minutes passed by quickly until the meeting is finally over. The other employees stood up and walked out of the meeting room as Sicheng remains seated. He blows his red bangs in distress. He had no time to overthink and let his anxiety swallow him whole. He didn't have the time to gel his hair up either, and now he has to deal with his own fringes being all over the place beneath half his forehead.

What else is there to get a big damned distraction for? Sicheng shifts his attention to Hendery, who is leaning on the doorframe with his clipboard trapped between his arm and chest. Hendery is hurriedly typing on his phone with a simpering smile on his face, much to Sicheng's puzzlement. How can Hendery be so happy when he has a packed schedule ahead, even with a meeting hosted by the planning team now crossed off the list?

Hendery doesn't look back to the meeting room after tucking his phone into his pocket. He strides away out of Sicheng's sight, and when he was gone, Sicheng realizes he needed to get going too. He takes a brief look at his wristwatch, seeing he had a few hours before the meeting with the press. He leaves the meeting room without a rush. His suitcase slung over his shoulder, Sicheng heads to the restroom with calm yet clattery taps of his shoes.

He comes in the restroom for boys, unbothered by two other employees inside whose names he never knew of nor saw their faces among people in the company. Sicheng leans closer to the mirror to check the details of his appearance, still the same young man in his middle twenties with red hair and ironed suit. Flawless as ever, Sicheng calmly wets his hand with little water from the faucet, splashing them in his face. He's wearing unremovable make-up anyways thanks to Jeno's wonders. What a way to relieve his stress.

Sicheng stares at himself in the mirror for a longer time for no absolute reason, until his ears perk up at the mention of the two unknown employees chattering two sinks away from him.

"I still can't believe the production manager is dating two people," says employee no. 1. "And the marketing manager is one of them."

"I know right? The way the two of them fell for the renowned environmentalist of the company... Understandable," replies the other employee. Sicheng narrows his eyebrows in bafflement.

"Quite a polyamorous relationship, don't you think?"

"They're one of a kind. And I see the dynamics between the three of them."

"Who doesn't? They actually complete each other well."

Sicheng internally gasps. _Marketing who? P_ _roduction manager? Environmentalist?_

Sicheng walks out of the restroom unnoticed. Speak of the devil, he comes across the marketing manager in the hallways.

"Yangyang!" Sicheng greets. "Having a nice day?"

"Very," the half-shapeshifter winks. "What about you?"

"The same," he answers. "Heard you're dating two of the best men in this company."

"Aha," Yangyang chuckles, abashed. "Yes, I am."

"Best wishes and luck to your relationship," cheers Sicheng. "A beautiful couple. That's what you are. Take care of them especially Dejun, okay? He's a close relative of mine."

"Of course I will," Yangyang beams. "And thanks! I’ll just go to the PR meeting.”

"Good luck again!"

Sicheng left to go back to his desk, rubbing his forehead in distress. He passed by the secretarial department and was blocked by two people wearing Cheshire Cat smirks. Sicheng kept his composure.

"Is there anything you need?"

"There is," Wooyoung pushes his glasses up his nose bridge. "You and the CEO left yesterday for no business matters, right?"

Sicheng crosses his arms. "What do you need about that?"

"We saw through your lies!" Jongho proudly grins from ear to ear. "You weren't having a productive conversation about the overall affairs and duties of those at our company!"

Sicheng scowls, "you still remember what I said?"

Jongho whips out his phone from beneath his suit, swiping haphazardly before showing Sicheng the screen. Leaning closer to identify the photo on the screen, his face turned sullen.

"Who took this?"

"We have a friend who works in IKEA. He sent this to us," Wooyoung answers.

"He said you and the CEO were spotted in IKEA! That's scurrilous!"

Sicheng glowers, "and why was your friend taking photos of us instead of working?"

"Um," Wooyoung pauses. "No idea?"

"Has this news reached the general public?"

Jongho shakes his head. "No, just inside the company–"

"This company?" Sicheng scoffs in disbelief, frowning. He turns to the youngest member of the secretarial department. "Jongho, maintain effective records and administration. Wooyoung, proceed into upholding the legal requirements of governing documents, charity law, and company law. You can't be chewing your time over this. There is nothing to be excited about me and the CEO spotted together in IKEA."

"But both of you were clearly having your time–"

"A time that wasn't meant to happen. There is nothing going on between me and the CEO nor am I cheating on him. I respect Mr. Kim as much as I respect Mr. Jung. I promised Mr. Kim to take care of the CEO when he entrusted him to me. Hence, I'm willing to do what should be done under some circumstances."

Sicheng eyes them with daggers before wending his way to his desk.

"Damn," Wooyoung gawks. "Secretary Kim isn't like that."

"Hm, Secretary Moon seems to be rather aloof and reserved type when he's serious," hums Jongho.

"At least he's friendly?"

By the time he arrives at his usual executive desk, Sicheng checks his phone. He shuts his eyes in irritation when he sees 'Meeting with the Press' settled as an alarm one hour from now. He scrolls further to see some notifications that can at least lift his spirits or serve as a motivation, but the 27 missed calls from Ten just added up to the burdening weight on his slumped shoulders.

Sicheng never wished to suffer and yet he still did.

Meeting with the press wasn't bad. Sicheng was rather proud of himself for keeping his composure as the meeting was broadcasted live throughout the country's media. With a proud huff, he tosses his clipboards, documents and stamped paperworks on his executive desk, letting out a sigh of relief as he sat down on his swivel chair. Finally, meetings for the day are over. Finally, all that is left is to organize the schedule and plan for the second half of next year.

_Why are we advancing time that's way ahead of our time anyway?_ Sicheng wonders. He fumbles with his phone as he switches it open. He's glad he had his phone muted during the whole time the press' meeting was on hold, unlike when he almost got kicked out of the company for having his phone ring at a meeting, a meeting hosted by the intimidating figures of the planning team. Worse scenario Sicheng could've ever imagined, except it actually happened for real.

The numerous calls from Ten are still there, for Sicheng didn't have a second to wipe them all in one tap of a finger a while ago. But this time, the count of calls increased from 27 to 36 calls, meaning Ten tried to call him again while his phone was muted all along.

_Jesus_ , Sicheng turns off his phone and slides it back into his pocket. He buries his face in his hands, utterly distressed. He really needs a break, and he won't get the break he needed unless he enters the CEO's office with a formal greeting as the secretary he is. Heart hammering in his chest, Sicheng takes a deep exhalation. _C'mon Sicheng,_ he pats himself on the shoulders. _We can do it!_

Sicheng can't stand rejections. He can never stand them, ever, but for once maybe he could accept it if Jaehyun rejects him. All he needed was a break, and he's one step to getting the break he deserves the closer he gets to the CEO's office with jittery fingers. He opens the door, heart thrumming against his ribcages, afraid his chest might burst any minute from now. By the time he steps in the office, he closes the door behind him and blows a heavy sigh. He makes his way to the center of the office, still a bit scared. Fuck it. He's standing at least three feet away from his ex, the CEO of a renowned company, settled down on his executive desk wearing the finest suit from his expensive wardrobe.

“Have you finished the sales report for the brand electronics?”

“Yes sir.” Sicheng pauses. "Sir? Can I ask you something?"

"Call me Jaehyun."

Sicheng hitches his breath. "Okay, Jaehyun. I was wondering if I can go on a day off tomorrow? It's okay if you don't want me to, I'm just asking–"

"Sure."

Sicheng internally gasps. He looks up to Jaehyun who didn't spare him a glance, too occupied in observing the salary reports on hand.

Sicheng hates to admit it, but his thoughts are all over the place again. They met again in Jaehyun's office, and now they're acting like nothing happened between them yesterday. Jaehyun's cold response doesn't help either, instead it thickens the atmosphere you could slash through the silence with a knife.

Sicheng staggers through his words, "a-are you sure–"

"You must be so tired," says Jaehyun. "You've worked hard. Take adequate rest and go back to us with higher work efficiency. Spend your day-off wisely, it's the best you can do to recharge in time for the next day."

A pause.

"Thank you."

_Ah. How considerate of him._

"Hey!" Ten exclaims mirthfully, slamming the door to run after Sicheng as the latter heads to the couch. "You didn't come home last night!"

Sicheng neglected what his friend said and flopped himself on the couch, throwing his suitcase on the coffee table. "I'm gonna go on a day off tomorrow. My back aches."

"And your heart must be so sore. Feel so sorry for you dear."

"Shut up."

"Is what I'll never do!"

Sicheng sighs heavily in vexation. He glances at Ten's anticipating smirk from the other side of the couch. "I don't think I can sleep tonight."

"Good, because I have a lot to tell you."

"Go on."

"You missed out a lot," Ten states with a sad grin. "Last night, Donghyuck got into a car accident."

Sicheng shots up from his seat. "Pardon?"

"The baby werewolf got into a car accident, sigh, a pity. Don't worry though, we watched the musical even though we were late."

"How's Donghyuck?"

"I did the treatment on him, don't worry, but I think he's still ugly as ever even with the bandage around his head," the demon huffs. "The highlight of the double date–"

"Double–" Sicheng wheezes. "Are you sure it was a double date?"

"What else would it be with Mark and Donghyuck tagging along?" Ten laughs in between his words, slapping the shapeshifter on the shoulder. "Anyways, the highlight was your mission succeeding."

"My mission?"

"The one we talked over the lunch reunion," Ten's lips twitched upward. "I'm a genius! Donghyuck didn't eat or drink anything for hours so I gave him a bottle of water. Had his thirsty ass satisfied in the middle of the performance, and now the effects will take in after he gets his good night's sleep."

"You didn't feed him for hours? You must be kidding."

"It was part of my plan! Besides, I'll never give him the same torture again because I'll forever love my future brother-in-law from now on."

"Jesus Christ," Sicheng rubs his forehead, afraid he's getting some wrinkles just from hearing Ten talk. "You would've been dead if Johnny knew your plan from the start."

"He'll never find out!" Ten jeers, his cheekbones blooming with thrill. "Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung will update us when it's all over. We told them to keep an eye on those two werewolves and track their every single movement inside and outside school."

"Damn. Every single one of us really had our own contributions."

"We have the best teamwork and you're the backbone of the plan," Ten remarks. "Will trust your galaxy brain always. Love you lots, 'Cheng."

"Did you just say galaxy brain? I'm clogged nowadays!" Sicheng squawks. "Got a warning earlier during the meeting because you called me! And–"

Ten gasps, "gosh, I was worried okay? You didn't answer any of my calls for a long period of time."

"–I must be outdated or something, but is Xiaojun dating not one man but two?"

"Xiaojun? Heard from Kun he has two boyfriends and they're both your co-workers from the company."

"What?! But they never– _huh_ , they never interacted!"

"You've never seen them interact, hm, understandable because they're working under different departments. Maybe sometime later you'll see them together in one room."

"Wow, I'm really the most oblivious person in the company," Sicheng complains. "But Chittaphon! How do I tell Jaehyun that–"

"Okay 'Cheng heads up, pay attention. You go to his office and greet him formally. Then–"

"What do you mean formally?"

"Shut up. My demon instincts say you call him 'sir' within business relations. Anyway, after you greet him formally, he'll ask why you are there. Say 'I'm here to tell you a confession, but a confession that came straight out of my brain instead of my heart.'"

Sicheng pinches Ten's calf. Ten moans.

"And um, you go like 'so the reason why I actually came to work here is to tell you something."

Sicheng's face morphs into utter skepticism. "I came to tell him a confession and the reason I signed up is to tell him something?"

"I'm no eloquent person, but just go with the flow and you get the gist. And then you confess that you lost to a deal with a bird nest-headed roompa loompa fanatic who's part of an underground gang–"

"Yukhei is a _what_?"

"– So you came to steal the budget money of the company and ended up getting into a car accident. You got hit by a truck, confined in a hospital, and had minor amnesia. Hence, you came to work in Seoul Assemblage to set for a new life goal, restart clean and neat and find your true identity. Your true identity that is, the real reason why you signed up for the company in the first place. The end, goodbye, it's over."

"Has it ever occurred to you Jaehyun might hate me with his whole chest if he finds out I tried to steal a million from him?"

"You actually did it though? Jungwoo used the money to treat Yukhei and himself on a trip to Hawaii. They donated the rest to the homeless and built shelters for them."

"Robin Hood _fuckers_ , the money is not ours! Let's get this clear. Yukhei was an ass when I made a deal with him. I have no intention of actually stealing one-fourth of the company's money because I have no goals of being rich whatsoever. Jaehyun will bite me to death if he hears about this."

"Then what are you supposed to do?!" Ten whines, picking on his nails. "Pull Jaehyun to the couch, have a nice day fucking him and go like 'hey, bet I arouse you more than Doyoung does'. And when he kisses you, you whisper 'fuck Doyoung and his charms.' Is that it? Sicheng? That's it?"

"Go to hell."

"Tried that. The devil said I misbehaved too much."

A facepalm.

"You're no help at all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taeil with red cat ears is the type I'd like to sign up for :)
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	5. And now the quiet hours stay a little longer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sicheng's day-off, a laptop plagiarism drama, and a wasted night with his favorite trio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one really cares but today's my birthday and the worst thing I've done is have my main twt account locked. Now I'm gonna have a cursed birthday today I guess.
> 
> Some scenes here are inspired by the drama 'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim'. Letting you know just in case! + please start using Ecosia instead of Google so it would lessen the risks of losing our planet :D

The news of the temp secretary taking a day off spreads like wildfire in the company, but the majority choose not to care and focus on the work. In the meantime, Yangyang shows up in Jaemin's office to borrow his photocopy machine, Jeno standing by the shelves to arrange some files regarding the art exhibition opening next year.

Yangyang murmurs, “hey, why is Mr. Moon taking a day off?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something is going on with him?” 

“Nothing is going on with him.”

Jaehyun stood before the open glass doors of Jaemin's office. The three youngsters tensed up, Jaemin straightening his back at the CEO's presence. Yangyang clears his throat just in case.

“Good morning sir.” They chorus.

“Stop talking about someone who isn’t here, but work harder to make up for the fact that he isn’t here.”

“Yes bro– I mean, sir.” Jaemin stutters.

Jaehyun doesn't spare a minute to take a look inside Jaemin's overloaded office, almost every corner stacked with clipboards and submitted files. He gives Jaemin a warning look before walking away. Yangyang lets out a deep exhalation in relief.

"What the fuck, why is he on our floor?" Jeno questions, agape.

"Dude, my heart stopped when I saw him," Yangyang groans. "He's scary, but not as scary as Jaemin."

"Fuck you," Jaemin slaps his desk with a pile of clipped documents. "I'm sick of working."

"I'm sick of working too, but it's my only way of earning money," Yangyang shakes his head in disbelief. He grins shortly after that. "I'm going to the grocery later with Dejun and Dery later. Anyone wants beef?"

"The only beef I need here is the beef between Jaehyun hyung and Mr. Moon," Jaemin flops back down to his swivel chair. "I still can't believe Mr. Moon is Do–"

"Buy us the finest meat you see!" Jeno intervenes just in time, giving Jaemin a death glare.

"Sorry huns, might not do that," Yangyang snuffles. "My name on the payroll is next to a salary worth less than six million won. And we need to throw a BBQ party tonight."

Jeno flinches in wariness, "then you didn't have to ask–"

Jaemin slams his hands on his desk, causing a few papers to bounce and shifts back and forth on air. "Get out," he glowers at the half-shapeshifter. "Get out, Liu boy, I don't need your annoying ass. Use another photocopy machine."

"Have a nice day!" Yangyang stuck out his tongue. "If you dare hurt Dejun or Dery, it's on site."

Yangyang sashays away from their office with a grin plastered on his face. By the time he was gone from their views, Jeno creases his eyebrows in vexation.

"Did he just imply he'll lay our hands on us if we hurt his boyfriends?"

"As if! I'll tell Jaehyun hyung to fire him–"

"Hey now, I know we can't stand that marketing manager but you're going too far."

"He deserves to be in jail!"

"Oh no," Jeno groans. "How many shots of coffee have you had today?"

It's Sicheng's day off. He has so many things to overthink.

Ensconced on a bench in a public park, Sicheng stares off at the sky filled with bouncy clouds looking like splotched white paint all over the canvas as if they've been outlined well with shadows and excellent lighting. In spite of the scene above him, Sicheng can't help but drift off to his thoughts and space out as he'd always do.

The words Jaehyun told him when he came to pick him up all the way from Ten's apartment wouldn't get out of his mind no matter what. What did he mean by 'feelings didn't fade one bit during the past centuries'? It couldn't be that Sicheng's thinking of what he's not supposed to be thinking. No way on earth will Jaehyun still have feelings for Sicheng when a whole perfection named Kim Dongyoung exists.

Sicheng harks back to that day when Jaehyun drove him off to work, Ten ditched in the kitchen to take care of the burnt toasts, pack them and feed them to stray pets he can find on his way. It's a miracle Ten didn't see Jaehyun's expensive car parked outside his apartment even for only a split second and catch Sicheng and Jaehyun interacting right before his eyes. Otherwise, the cambion would've pestered Sicheng about it for the rest of their lives under the living daylights.

Speaking of his best friend, there's another thing that has been sticking close to Sicheng's mind. Ever since Ten suggested that he could be the guy on the sketch clipped on the replica of Jaehyun's journal, he couldn't stop thinking about it. The portrait of the person is wearing a grand hanbok, seemingly colored with ravishing fabrics and exquisite ribbons and ties despite the artist originally using dark shades ranging from white to black. Every detail somehow clawed along to Sicheng's memory, but then again, he strongly believes he has worn the exact same style of clothes in the past. The only close to the sketch being a proof of his true form is the sharp ear poking out of the hair. It's always his fairy ear.

Sicheng shakes his head and hauls himself out of his thoughts.

Jaehyun is right. He has to spend his day off wisely. The company is packed this winter season, considering a new year is about to kick off yet again and Sicheng, as well as the secretarial department, will have to make countless arrangements and organize schedules regarding celebrations, parties, and meet-ups for the holidays.

He angrily chomps on his ice popsicle he bought off from a street vendor. Sometimes he could never stop thinking about the CEO. He tried to take a nap in the park, but considering he'd be laying down on a rough, wooden bench, the idea was thrown off the window. He can never stop thinking about Jaehyun, and he can never sleep on a hard surface either.

His thoughts were tossed away to the bin by the moment he stares back at a little girl who had been ogling him the whole time. She is leering at him with confusion visible in the way her eyebrows are raised, hand tightening as she clings to her mother's dress.

Sicheng's lips twitched. Was he scary in general? Did he do anything wrong? Was his red hair too flashy?

Sicheng smiles at her to act kind and nice, which in actuality is his personality in the first place. The girl shyly flashes him a smile back, still abashed as their eyes remain locked. What a cunning child, ponders the shapeshifter. The mother later gestures for her to walk, zipping her pouch close after buying two cones of ice cream.

The little girl gallops towards the bench where Sicheng is sitting alone. Sicheng looks at her with an anticipating expression, expecting her to come and approach him. She did. Her mother runs after her with tired legs. Sicheng flatters the little girl with a wave of his hand.

"Hello!" Greets the unnamed girl. "Are you having a great day, mister?"

A boring day, Sicheng wanted to say. "Yes, it's nice to chill here in the park."

The girl doesn't say anything in relation to what he said. The next words that rolled off her tongue caught Sicheng a bit off guard.

"You look like my great great great grandpa, mister," she mutters. "I've only seen him in pictures, but you resemble him a lot."

"Ah," Sicheng processes that as a pang in the heart. "That's understandable. I look old, don't I?"

"No! You look as young as how he looked in pictures."

"Oh," Sicheng replies soullessly. Right, he did tell Ten that a guy named Moon Taeil is a dead postman from the early years of the twentieth century. "I see. His looks must've passed down to you. You look pretty even in your youth."

"Thank you mister," beams the child. "I have to go. Bye bye!"

She promenades off to her mother with cute, little steps, hugging the woman with smiles on their faces. The delight formed by their family love softened Sicheng's heart from afar, fond of the scene as if he was watching it through a television screen. They walk away as the mother asks the child what she wants to do next as she earns excited words from the little one Sicheng could no longer comprehend from the distance.

He doesn't know what to do next. Buy more snacks and feed himself? No, he wasn't hungry anymore. Take a nap or go back home to Ten's apartment? He can't sleep, let alone a nap. Revisit his abandoned apartment? Definitely not. It's too far and he wouldn't want to see the unpleasant spiderwebs on the corners of his walls. He shifts his attention to the busy sidewalks of the city, his eyes landing on an ATM situated outside a fashion store.

He leaves the park to cross the streets. He heads to the machine and unearths his bank card registered to Seoul Assemblage. He's quite thankful there's no queue by the machine, hence he comes first and inserts his card in the designated slit of a hole.

Typing his pin and a few taps here and there has Sicheng growing curious about how much salary he gained so far. He'd always been blinded by the amount of work and the burdens in his life combined that he never keeps track of his salary each week, and he hasn't even worked for the company for more than a month. All he knows is his salary must be on the average amount of money, not too cheap nor too expensive. Sicheng is not money hungry. Heck, he could make billions in a snap of a finger with Kun, Yuta or even Jisung's misshaped magic.

Sicheng blinks. Must be average, he thought. He turns fazed upon seeing the mind-boggling numbers. The amount of cash wired to his account was through his diligence at work.

Unbelievable.

_11 million won?_ That's not even close to a fifty-thousand dollar's worth, but he could tell it's an immensely huge amount of money. Sicheng shrugs the thought off and taps on an option to withdraw small cash of 113,000 won. Afterward, he pulls the cash from the machine and removes his card to sign off. He heaves a sigh and faces the hustle of the city again, saluted with the bustling rushes of the strangers and the calming walks of passersby. One thing that caught his attention was the grocery store just across the road.

"Oh," he mutters to himself. "I could go and restock Ten's apartment."

Sicheng is tired of eating the intricate meals Ten teleports from hell for their dinner everyday. Heck, even Sicheng is sick of drinking the same chamomile tea Ten brews for him almost every night after he comes home from work. The wine is an exception, and Sicheng is one-hundred percent certain Ten got them from Johnny's house judging from the high standard brand.

It takes him less than a minute to cross the road and enters the grocery without any hesitation. He lets his eyes roam around like as if he's a lost child until he sees the section boards hanging from the ceiling, heading first to the aisle of frozen food. Sicheng squints at the distance.

All he wanted was to look for a frozen beefsteak he could cook at home for Ten when he comes home from work tonight, not to see three goons he knows from work.

"Listen, we definitely need some pork to feast on some night–"

"Shut up, I can't believe you taunted the CIO and accountant!"

"How'd you know I tricked Jaemin and Jeno?!"

"I'm your boyfriend and you don't know what I'm capable of?!"

"Oh. Don't worry half-vampire, I'll never get fired no matter how much you heard of it."

"Boy, I heard everything from countless floors below! You messed up with the wrong people!"

"Hey guys, we shouldn't be fighting in a public grocery."

"Seal your lips, Hendery. No one would ever listen to you."

The production manager clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Why am I even in love with the both of you–"

"Why are we arguing about this?" Questions the obnoxious marketing manager. "Let's pick meat and it's all over."

"I say beef."

"No way, I get to pick meat this time!"

"Whatever, I'm purchasing this!" Sicheng peeks from behind an aisle of junk food to see Yangyang placing a wrapped package of frozen pork into their cart.

"Yang, think about our barely filled wallets–"

"C'mon guys, we still need to buy remedies for the head of general affairs."

"The only remedy I need is the anti-Yangyang one to treat the headache I'm having at the moment."

"Oh jeez, you know you love me!"

Sicheng treads away from the trio before they have another bicker-banter episode. Sicheng didn't want to see anyone from the company and yet he sees them at an unusual time. Hastily avoiding them by running towards the vending machines for drinks, he puts his hood over his head. He unearths his pouch and cups a few coins on hand to insert them on the machine after pressing the respective button for his preferred drink. It's a sports drink, not really his favorite, so he exits the grocery store in a rush. Rest in peace to Ten's stocks, his cupboards and kitchen drawers will remain empty forever. Perhaps Sicheng would continue to rely on his formal meals from hell. Their quality is out of the world after all, best of the best yet not known to ordinary humans.

The next thing Sicheng does is jog to the beach. He doesn't shapeshift into anything, not even a rat or a stray dog although being in those forms could've taken him faster to the nearest beach. Sicheng ran to the beach in his humanoid form. He doesn't feel the need to rush to the place so he takes his time to look around the city as he gets closer to his destination. Catching sight of the public buses and taxis passing by on the road, he didn't need transportation either. Going to the beach by foot might be enough healing time. Saves energy and money too, one could say.

It takes him around an hour jogging until he finally reached the beach. He approaches the shore with hasty steps and stays unbothered when his sneakers were an inch close from the lips of the waves. He settles himself down and lies on the sand, taking in the view of the appealing clouds on the sky before shutting his eyes to void.

The way Sicheng breathes peacefully without any problem, his healing time is definitely not mandatory in his case. Jaehyun gave him the day off he deserved. So far he'd spent the day debating with himself in the park, signing in his bank account, entering a grocery store only to see three people he knows from work and buy one bottle of sports drink till he lies on top of the soft sand, about to take off to paradise in his dreams.

Time passes like a star at dawn. Sicheng fell asleep for hours thanks to nature's serene whispers and the cold breeze under the sun's warmth. Among the public passing by the beach and on the road not far from the shore parked an old car upon seeing Sicheng's familiar figure passed out in the middle of sand and small waves.

"Hey, is that Sicheng hyung?"

"What the fuck is he doing there?"

"I literally have no idea?"

"Fools. What about we get out of here and check on him?"

"Someone might rob the car without us knowing."

The younger fairy whines at the slap he received from the older. The mage didn't bother to care about their little argument, still ogling the sleeping Sicheng from afar.

"Sicheng hyung's pants are gonna get soaked. His shoes already are."

"Car ain't ours, and we could get robbed–"

"Lele, use your brain and stop your anxious ass. Key's in my pocket. Let's go."

The three of them bounced off their parked car and treaded curiously towards Sicheng's body. Renjun is the first to bend to his level on the sand, poking his cheeks as a weak attempt to wake him up. Chenle purposely bumps to the older fairy and bent down on the sand too, earning a grouse from his cousin in return. Jisung stands a few centimeters away from them and waits patiently for the fairies to make their move.

Chenle's fingertip glows as he smirks mischievously. Sparkles of light jounced off his glowing fingertip. In a blink of an eye, Chenle had nudged Sicheng on the neck. The shapeshifter lets out a startled scream, reeling backward before he could even recognize the people in front of him shortly after waking up. Sicheng recoiled at the boiling pain burned in his neck muscles, his nerves electrified from shock.

"What are you three doing here?" Sicheng frowns, catching a glimpse of the vintage, roofless car behind Renjun. Sicheng squints. It's a 1962 Ford Thunderbird. "And what's with that–"

"Stole a car from the gang."

"And drove away from a frantic Yukhei!"

"I swear I didn't tag along, I got dragged along," Jisung raises his hand in surrender. His gaze hardens the longer he stares at Sicheng, trying to convince the shapeshifter he did nothing wrong.

"Teenagers nowadays, jeez."

"Excuse me? We're not teenagers!" Renjun quarrels.

"Mentally teenagers, you all are," Sicheng brushes his hair back and scrambles to his feet. He pats the sand off his pants. They walked back to the car (Sicheng was wobbling his way towards it, facepalming in regrets of sleeping the wrong way it had him get cramps in the thighs), Renjun hopping first to the driver's seat. Chenle sat down beside Renjun without buckling his seatbelt. Jisung sat on the right of the passenger's seat, Sicheng being on the left. The feeling of something missing weighs on his shoulder as if it's a hunch.

"What about the two werewolves?"

"Ditched 'em!" Chenle clinks proudly. "They were stuck in their summative test so we had no choice but to abandon them. Who cares about them anyway? This is our time!"

"Exactly." Jisung simultaneously agrees. "We don't need a disgusting couple in our mini ride."

"What do you mean a disgusting–"

"Let's go!" Renjun stomps hard on the accelerator and violently spun the steering wheel in excitement. Sicheng leans back from the force, shutting his eyes from the strong gust of wind.

"God," the shapeshifter whines. "I don't feel safe in this vehicle."

"Just buckle up and it's gonna be a long ass ride!"

"Shut up Chenle, we don't need a loud ride just because we're carrying a humanoid dolphin around."

"I'm not a dolphin, I'm a fairy!"

"Fairies don't steal Mark's iconic line."

"Let's just enjoy this ride, shall we?" Jisung nervously intervenes while he inclines his head on the backseat.

Renjun races to Incheon, to the place that had one of the best scenery during sunsets. The specific place is located near Geobukseom, a place Sicheng had never been to. Since the place is under construction, it would be interesting to know how it will turn out differently in the future. All Sicheng knows is the road there is deserted, so they're free to traipse around in a speeding car.

Sicheng glances at the time on the car's radio. He's no longer surprised when it turns out to be already past six. He napped for hours by the seashore without having any plans of waking up until the three mentally teens encountered him with a damn car they stole from Yukhei and Jungwoo's gang.

It doesn't take them long to go there. Dazed by the captivating view of nature, Sicheng doesn't even mind about his problems anymore. His sneakers soaked wet from the beach, hair tousled from his nap, collar crooked from lying down in the fetal position; he doesn't care anymore. As of now while it lasts, probably.

The skies painted as turquoise blue and rose quartz reflects speckles of orange. The sound of engine rings from the speeding wheels beneath Renjun's inexperienced driving with no intentions of stepping on the brakes to a screeching halt. Jisung props his head on the cushioned headrest whilst Chenle stands from his seat, leaning against the outline of the windshield as he welcomes the strong gust of wind that propels his hair back. Sicheng sits dangerously on the base of the car window which is somewhat called bezel as he observes the breathtaking panorama. They calmly drive off the deserted road, just enjoying the landscape of the isolated place.

Sicheng feels a surge of peace and tranquility blooming inside him. He'll have to thank the chaotic trio for giving him a fancy evening, a form of stress relief in Sicheng's perspective. Kids are not so bad after all. Not really bad, especially when they know the ways of being rebel teenagers by mental age.

Hendery is itching to go home. Go home was all he wanted, see his boyfriends was all he wanted, and yet he is left behind because he still has to present a designed poster for the opening of the company exhibition scheduled after the new year.

And there he is, standing a foot in front of the CEO's executive desk. Hendery was finished with the introduction, presentation and everything else he could say about the new promotional poster before handing it to Jaehyun, whose aura is too sharp and civil Hendery has to hold himself back from committing a sudden outburst of idiocracy.

"You're saying this is for the opening of Seoul Assemblage's exhibition designed by the promotion team?"

"Indeed sir." Hendery lets out a soft breath of relief, glad Jaehyun picked up on his words in an instant. As Jaehyun unfurls the rolled poster, Hendery can't help but talk more as part of his antics. "Having a romantic night as the theme, they included the image of a kissing couple in the poster."

Hendery doesn't notice how Jaehyun has his eyes widened, stupefied upon discerning the well-designed characters of the couple kissing beneath a sky filled with captivating fireworks. A war flashback seeps to crawl its way back to Jaehyun's mind, and now he's left perplexed at the sudden remembrance of kissing Doyoung. And Sicheng.

Jaehyun flinches back and unintentionally crumples the poster, mouth open from the shock. Hendery turns to see if he was okay. The promotions manager looks at the CEO with a frightened face like a deer in headlights.

"I'm sorry sir, I'll have them design it again."

"No it's fine, proceed with this concept."

"No," Hendery frantically shakes his head. "I'll come back with an upgraded version. Go home safely."

Hendery bows, Jaehyun still left in a perplexed manner. The manager attempts to classily walk back to the door, bowing for the last time that night before he's completely out of the CEO's sight.

He never thought he would think about it again. The day he kissed Sicheng by the scenic pier above the reflective sea.

Renjun almost had them crash into a tree. Worse, they ran out of gas in the middle of a terrain and had to call a mechanic to rescue them. It took them an hour to wait and another hour to drive back to the city, and by the time they showed up to the gang, they were met with a stern Jungwoo who had his arms crossed as if he's about to whip some asses.

("I swear I didn't tag along, I got dragged along." Sicheng mimics Jisung's signature phrase.)

Sicheng doesn't know what happened for the rest of the night, if the trio were able to come back home safely or Jungwoo took them in their headquarters for them to stay the night over despite stealing such a valuable car without valid permission. In the meantime, Sicheng came home to Ten's apartment only to be greeted by a knocked out demon sleeping safe and sound on the couch. He must've been tired. Sicheng feels tired too, so he dizzily runs to the guest room without even taking off his once-soaked sneakers.

By the time morning came, Sicheng readily dresses and grooms himself as usual. Ten seems to be in a hurry too that he didn't cook breakfast and only whipped out a slice of bread for himself and placed it on the toaster. Sicheng isn't hungry anyway so once he's finished, the friends bid farewell to each other and settle off to their respective works.

"Good morning, everyone." Sicheng saunters in the office with a plastered smile on his face, several logbooks and documentations clipped between his chest and his left arm.

He raises a brow when sees the secretarial department members' sullen faces. They are gathered around Hongjoong's desktop, whining as they greet Sicheng back.

"It's not a good morning," Jongho gripes. "We are in big trouble, Mr. Moon."

Seonghwa asserts, "it seems like someone had copied the design of our new laptop launching next month."

Sicheng's expression gradually turns into a petrified one. "What?"

"Look."

Sicheng scurries next to them to catch a glimpse of the promoted article on Hongjoong's screen.

"The UK Group revealed the design of their new laptop," Mingi whinges. "It looks exactly the same as ours."

Sicheng begins to panic, "does the CEO know about this?"

As if on cue, the tap of the familiar buckled shoes rings from behind. Everyone turns to look at the well-dressed CEO standing by the department office's door frame as they bowing in respect.

"Mr. Moon." Jaehyun calls out, voice cold and icy as ever. Sicheng looks back at him as if nothing happened between the two of them during the past days. The dull orbs on Jaehyun's eyes spoke so much more, and it's as if he's more worried about the controversial than sparing a second to greet Sicheng back after his permitted day off.

"Call for a board meeting immediately."

Sicheng takes his bow, "yes sir."

"Mr. Jung is here."

As soon as Jaehyun and Sicheng maunders inside, the businessmen make an obeisance by bowing their bodies ninety degrees. He leaves Jaehyun to sit on his usual head's seat whilst Sicheng himself perches down on one of the additional chairs near the door to exclude himself from the formal debate.

"Have a seat," Jaehyun offers at the same time he settles down. "We don't have time, so let's go straight to the point."

Johnny speaks first, "it seems like they revealed it earlier because they know that there will be a plagiarism controversy."

"Is it possible to change the design now?"

"That's..." The officers leaned back in distress.

"If we change the design now and delay the release, a line of products for the rest of the year would all fail." Leeteuk declaims. "Realistically, it's difficult."

"What other options do we have?"

"To give it a competitive edge, why don't we lower the price a little?" Yesung suggests.

"It hasn't even been released and you want to lower the price? Is this a clearance sale? Do you call that an opinion? Talk about an impetuous strategy."

The businessmen quieten at Jaehyun's witty rationalizations. Eunhyuk requests his opinion anyway.

"If we can't change the design, our function should differ."

"Is there any new technology we can borrow from the line that will be released early next year?"

"Yes, there is," Siwon replies. "But that will affect the release of the next model."

"Do we have a guarantee that there will be next?" Jaehyun blatantly ridicules. "Improve the SSD writing speed by thirty percent and improve the power consumption by 20 percent. Do everything you can and upgrade the quality, the design and the performance. We will have another meeting tomorrow."

Jaehyun left the conference room without bidding farewell. Sicheng didn't have the second to follow after him, instead he greets the two older men still dumbfounded in their seats.

"Ah, Mr. Moon."

"We just found out about this just now," Donghae says.

"The meeting was held even before we found a countermeasure," Ryeowook admits. "Gosh, I'm so embarrassed."

"We were just flustered. Please talk to him well."

"Don't worry, he must already know. And within a day, he will ask you about how you will handle the press. It will be nice if you find out when the design was patented and summarize the evidence which might prove that they copied our design."

A smile slowly makes its way to Ryeowook's face. "Thank you so much, Mr. Moon."

Donghae pats his friend on the shoulder. "Okay, let's go."

By the second Ryeowook and Donghae strode out of the conference room along with other businessmen, Johnny stayed still on his seat. Sicheng feels concerned for him so he approaches from behind. "Sir? Are you alright?"

Johnny rubs his forehead, clearly worn out. "I'm just tired. It hasn't been afternoon yet and now we're going to be packed for the rest of the day."

"This whole plagiarism controversy is just a challenge. I'm sure we can do well."

"I just want to see Ten."

Sicheng snorts.

"I'm sorry sir, I can't help you with that."

His stumps steered, Sicheng hurtles inside the secretarial department's office, a clipboard on hand as he frenziedly glances at every member present.

"Mr. Jeong and Mr. Jung Wooyoung, please check how each department is doing."

"Alright, we will do that."

"Mr. Choi San, Mr. Choi Jongho and Mr. Kang, go to the legal team and discuss with them about the lawsuits. Mr. Park and Mr. Song, attend the meeting of the marketing team and get a meeting minutes. Mr. Kim Hongjoong, please stay on top of everything."

"Understood."

Yeosang snatches a handful of logbooks from his shelf as Wooyoung vigorously tussles his desk to grab ahold of his notepad and pens. Seonghwa and Mingi hurried out of the department office with Yunho following close behind, Jongho immediately rushing to the telephone to stop the obnoxious ringing and answer whoever it is.

Their day is candidly freighted with nothing but work and an infringement of copyright concern on top of that. So much for a day just after Sicheng's day off.

The day goes on until night falls and city lights flash visibly through the glass windows of the office. Sicheng tramps to Jaehyun's office, his arms full with hoards of submitted reports.

"Mr. Jung, I talked to the development team. They said they can do the upgrade you requested."

Jaehyun blinks. "It's already done?"

"Yes. The legal team provided their opinion on the design patent and the marketing team prepared the press releases regarding the plagiarism issue," Sicheng hands Jaehyun files clipped to a hardbound folder each for a team. "And this is the plan for managing the extra budget."

"Things got done faster than I imagined."

"They still can't catch up with you." Sicheng laughs. The way he giggles softens the CEO's heart.

"The better you perform, the more I hate to see you go. I've been so comfortable because of you," Jaehyun confesses. "Thank you for working with me till now."

"Don't thank me," Sicheng fondly smiles at him. "Thank Doyoung."

Jaehyun draws his lips into a thin line, a bit bitter at the way Sicheng smoothly said his words without stuttering. The shapeshifter takes his last bow in front of the CEO. He steps out and fumbles with his suitcase for a moment before walking away from his executive desk. Upon his turn, he sees the secretarial department members eating pizza they called for a delivery.

"Are you eating dinner just now?"

"Yes!" Mingi cheerily exclaims. "We're eating dinner after finishing our work."

Sicheng greets him with his signature smile. "You did a great job today. It was an unexpected situation, but you handled it well."

"You basically did everything," praises Hongjoong. "Everyone needs to know you got this far just by your merit alone."

"He's right. What would we do without you?"

The shapeshifter turns red from abashed cheeks to his ears.

"Thank you so much for the support," expresses Sicheng, still blushing from his co-workers' mild shower of compliments. "I have to get going."

"Have a safe walk home, Mr. Moon!"

Sicheng gets a text from a close co-worker by the last minute. It seems like he'll have to get wasted tonight.

"Today was packed. I barely had time to breathe," Hendery dramatizes, taking a sip of his rum mixed with cola.

"Yangyang tried to call me in the middle of a meeting like bitch, you want me to get fired?" Xiaojun exposes. "I attended ten meetings today and none of them lasted for more than five minutes. Everyone was rushed!"

"Hey, that's exaggerated, I know you attended my meeting and that lasted for half an hour," Hendery counters, pointing his chopsticks at Xiaojun. The latter only shoves a pork cutlet wrapped in lettuce into his mouth.

"Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of me not caring."

Sicheng snickers, "you're all crazy."

"Well," Yangyang rolls his eyes. He raises his shot of glass filled with wine. "We're adults, not saints."

They cheered like teens in their tipsy states would, their shot glasses clanging together with a satisfying clink. They downed their alcohol together in one gulp. What a way to relieve stress.

"I still can't process everything today," Yangyang states. "What's going to be the outcome of our plans? Will we change our product?"

"That's because you're dumb," Xiaojun retorts.

"You didn't attend my team's meeting!" Hendery contradicts. "We're actually safe. The lawsuits are going to take part in this situation. Everything was discussed in the planning team's last minute conference."

Sicheng averts his attention to the half-shapeshifter. "You didn't attend?"

Yangyang shakes his head. "No, I had to answer several calls regarding recent sales."

"Then that's good. I'm sure all of you did a great job and that's what matters for now."

"You're really generous," Hendery comments.

"I'm flattered, thank you."

"Well, Sich–"

Sicheng immediately rams his vodka onto Xiaojun's face upon hearing the first syllable of his name. No way in hell would he let Xiaojun blow his cover to his boyfriends especially when they're one of the key personnels of the company and has connections to almost everyone. He can't let them spread the rumors of Mr. Moon Taeil being Sicheng, someone buried under the heaps of Jaehyun's history records.

Hendery and Yangyang looked confused at first at the inevitable behavior, but Sicheng shuts them down with a smirk.

"Dejun has a weird kink of being splashed into the face when drinking," Sicheng falsifies. The burst of laughter from the two younger boys was enough to assure Sicheng that they seemed pretty much convinced by the false information. Xiaojun could only wipe his face using tissues and sweep his damp hair back.

Feigning innocence, Sicheng bats an eyelash. "So what was it you wanted to tell?"

"First of all, I didn't ask to be spritzed in the face."

"It's fun, having your boyfriends getting to know you more," Sicheng shrugs his shoulders.

"I just wanted to ask when are you leaving for the traditional thing," Xiaojun hisses. "It's in a few days, isn't it?"

"Oh that. Well yes, I'll see if I can get the CEO's permission so I could take an absence for three days. Chenle and Renjun are probably going to skip classes and come with me. Do you want to go with us?"

"I'll see if I can go. It depends on my schedule."

"Aw, you have a family tradition?" Yangyang cooes. "That's cute, but I prefer Dejunnie staying with us."

Sicheng scoffs, "whipped culture."

"Hey! If Mr. Moon is going to be absent for three days so soon, then let's make up the most for tonight!" Hendery bawls at the top of his voice.

He takes a bite of his grilled pork cutlet and pops the shaken bottle of Xiaojun's tequila. With a heroic screech, Hendery pours the liquid onto every half-filled glass, completely forgetting that his own shot glass has two drinks mixed at the moment. It doesn't take long for the rest of the three to join the wet mess. Yangyang sprinkles his wine onto Sicheng's corporate shirt (oh no, he'll have Ten to get it laundered later on) as Xiaojun jumps in the fun while tossing bite-sized pork cutlets into the air for Hendery to catch with his mouth. Apparently, Sicheng wins the first round and swallowed the tiny piece, indulging himself into its savory alone. The game doesn't stop there and Yangyang had to kick Hendery on the buttocks to get the next piece into his mouth.

("Foul play!" Sicheng whistles as if he was the coach. Xiaojun could only snicker at his lovers before proceeding to grill the next few pieces. That doesn't prevent Yangyang from restraining from his aggressive actions.

"A game is a game!")

Sicheng vociferates when Hendery almost smashed a wine bottle to the ground. Yangyang aspires to be as unbothered as Xiaojun who is too engrossed in trimming the lettuce wraps into accurate sizes. It's a young night.

Traveling through airports is certainly not their thing when principally, Sicheng hates riding airplanes. The only way they could get to China in a speed of light is through Kun and Yuta’s combined teleportation magic circle since they can’t trust Jisung’s distorted magic for most of the time. Thanks to the two elderly mages, they fabricated the airlines’ records and placed the Chinese trio’s names on the list of passengers as a shred of evidence they weren’t illegally traveling. Passports in their pockets as proof just in case, they vanished into thin air and so did the eight-pointed star’s glowing outline on the ground. Kun collapsed dramatically and puffed his lungs whilst Yuta rested his hands on his knees and wheezed for air.

“Son of a biscuit eater!” Jisung clicks his tongue. “I think they did this on purpose. Now I have to third wheel a gross couple in our school–”

“Son of a biscuit eater?” Jungwoo asks in hesitancy. He telekinetically summons a glass of cola from the kitchen all the way from the living room and sips on it. “What a cute way to curse.”

Yukhei let out the ugliest laugh upon hearing Jisung’s last words. “Gross? It couldn’t be Mark and Donghyuck, right?”

“It always has to be them!”

“Shush now. I do not tolerate such behavior in this house.”

“Kun, you do know this is not your house,” Yuta retorts.

The other magician scoffs, “a house shared by you is still my house. I pay for the electricity bills and you don’t.”

“I pay for the water bills!”

“Anyways,” Jisung presses. “Can you believe they ditched me to watch over those werewolves alone–”

“Shut it Jisung, you’re just salty because you won’t be seeing your boyfriend for like three days.” Jungwoo retaliates as he plays with the glass, letting it float on the air as he bobs it up and down, even rotates it for fun and watches it move on its own under his nonverbal control.

(“Damn, you could drop that anytime and Kun would be mad.” “Oh my Xuxi, worry not! I will never drop this porcelain glass and even if I do, I’ll retract them back to pieces.” “Well yeah, you’re always capable of uh, fixing everything, except my–” “Don’t. You. Dare. Say. Heart.”)

“Hm,” Kun hums as if he was unbothered all the time. “So this is the kind of tantrum people who are mentally teenagers have.”

“Ouch, it must hurt to feel old!”

“Jisung, shut it.”

“What is there to shut? Kun hyung and Yuta hyung have been on this planet since the Hellenistic period!”

Yuta groans. “First of all, why is there a child in our house?”

“Because he has Chenle’s trust,” Yukhei absentmindedly mumbles, almost detonating the kettle of brewed coffee as he pours some on Yuta’s cup.

“Bitch, what does this have to do with that talkative fairy?”

“Why does it looks like Mr. Moon isn’t coming today? It’s already past noon.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who noticed. He usually comes in at eight or nine.”

“He left for a family vacation,” says Yunho. “At least that was what I heard from the younger interns.”

“A family vacation? For how long?”

“Is any of us Mr. Moon? How the heck will we know?” Yeosang retorts.

“Hey now, he can’t possibly be gone for more than a day, can he?” Wooyoung asks. “Who’ll accompany the CEO then? Who’ll act and lead us as the head?”

“Exactly. I don’t think we can function correctly without Mr. Moon!” Mingi chimes.

“He’s a better secretary than Mr. Kim, isn’t he?” San fondly smiles. “He’s fun to be around unlike Mr. Kim who’s just… Plain scary.”

“We couldn’t have solved the plagiarism controversy by ourselves and with no secretary like Mr. Moon at that,” Seonghwa joins in. “He has a better aura than Mr. Kim.”

“Well, I hope Mr. Kim would take all his time and stay in Europe longer! We want president Moon!”

“What do you think will happen to Mr. Moon once Mr. Kim comes back?” Jongho questions. “It’s impossible for them to be secretaries at the same time.”

“That’ll be absurd. There’s no way they’ll send Mr. Moon back to where he came from. They can’t send him back to rock bottom when they’ve seen his independence and reliability. He’s handling everything as if he’s trained to be a secretary! He can do anything effortlessly.”

“And to earn the original secretary’s trust a few days into your work? Mr. Moon only,” San claps like a madman. “I can’t even have Mr. Kim look at me in the eye! He probably doesn’t trust me.”

“If Mr. Moon won’t come back for more than a day, then we better work hard just as much as he does,” Hongjoong speaks. “We can’t let the CEO down. We’re a whole department of eight members, I’m sure Mr. Moon would like us to take responsibility on behalf of his absence like he does on behalf of Mr. Kim’s.”

Wooyoung heaves a sigh.

“Join me on my prayer circle later. I hope Mr. Kim never comes back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this already in my other story but I want you to have contributions in saving the earth just as Sicheng's best buddies are supporting him!! Here are the easy things you can do to preserve our planet:
> 
> \- stop tossing your garbages around and recycle stuffs that can still be used you mf  
> \- don't take showers unless it's necessary (water interruptions are common in my country so y'all better save water wherever you are >:(!!)  
> \- turn off your lights even if you're reading this at 3am and save energy bitch a ghost might get you but at least you have contributions in maintaining the planet's health  
> \- stop!! killing!! bees!!  
> \- use metal straws and recyclable bags instead of plastic!! I'm pretty sure you're reminded of this in every year of both your primary and middle school times dude it's not that hard  
> \- someone in Pinterest said there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by the time it's year 2050 and instead of backlasing whoever said that for their negativity, we have to take action now and prevent that from happening  
> \- !!! there are alternatives for oil and gas BUT there are no alternatives for water. Keep that in mind  
> \- just be eco-friendly. It's not like you're taking an entrance exam to be admitted to your country's top 1 university ;;;;  
> \- stay away from racists and homophobes  
> \- live a happy life
> 
> <333
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	6. Till the darker days come and go again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sicheng's vacation, a night in the library, and Jaehyun in Paris.

"It's the feelings again, isn't it?"

"Sadly," says Jaehyun, a hand pushed up to the side of his face in contemplation. "I don't know what to do. I feel like I messed up."

"Now that what happens when you're in a stable relationship with Doyoung until he flies to Europe for a month and you meet your ex," Johnny shrugs a shoulder. "Can't be helped. Fate is drunk."

"Both of them aren't here at the moment."

"I know. Ten told me about Sicheng."

"I hate to admit it, but I think I should deliver a present. Should I?"

The CFO stifles a low laugh, "why are you asking me that? You should've agreed to yourself in the first place before you suggested it."

"I'm in trouble. What do you have to say about the F thing?"

"Feelings are a motherfucking bitch sometimes, you know? You'll figure it out later on. I don't know if you still love Doyoung and I don't know if you still have feelings for Sicheng, but it's up to you. If you choose Doyoung, then sure, pretend like things never happened between you and the latter. If you're going to choose Sicheng, well, then you'll have to break a heart or two."

Jaehyun blinks.

"What did you say about your brother dating someone?"

"It's Mark. He's Donghyuck's long-term friend and he's taking care of him well," Johnny says. “You should take care of Sicheng too."

"Really?"

"For your information, Ten has been crying for the past hours ever since your ex left for his flight.”

Teleported outside the porch, they stepped inside Chenle's luxury house and threw their baggages beside the shoe rack before untying their shoelaces to take them off. The minimalistic shelves are the first to greet them in the living room, the antique vases and sculptures displayed on each shelf.

"I've always wondered about Egyptian history," mumbles Renjun while rubbing his eye to glance at the pots carved with vintage designs. "If only Kun ge was here. Too bad he has an exam for some astronomical shit to get a degree or something."

"What else could you say? Kun ge has always been a busy man," Chenle answers.

"But he was born during ancient Egyptian civilization along with Yuta hyung! I just want to know how the Dogons analyzed the outer space without the use of technology. And the Tiwanaku people too! How did they move rocks around when they weigh 450 tons?"

"Hate to break it to you, Injun, but I don't believe in aliens." Sicheng shakes his head, his hands on hips. "I've seen things worse than aliens. Like vampires, for example."

"Oh!" Chenle cackles. "The shade!"

Sicheng flops his bag down next to the door of his room that has not been used for months. The last time he opened his room was last year, considering he and some of his relatives including Renjun and Chenle only flee back to China together every year as part of their family tradition.

Hands on his hips like a mother, he faced them.

"Boys, why are we speaking Korean?" Sicheng toothily grins before beaming in Chinese. "Welcome home!"

Giggles were diffused into the air. They run up to Sicheng to tackle him with a hug. Renjun wheezes for air when Chenle topples over him. "Welcome home to us!"

"Sicheng ge for president!" Chenle cheers. "That is if you treat us to something!"

Sicheng fondly grins at them, puffing his chest to breathe heavily. "Who wants hot pot?"

"Me!" Both boys chorus in unison.

"Okay, I'll cook Spinach noodles too."

"Add dumplings!"

"And Mutton Stew!"

"We're not from Beijing, but let's order Peking duck too!"

"Okay okay!" Sicheng chortles. "I'll bring home the bacon but first, grocery shopping is a must."

Renjun gives him the puppy look, "can we go with you?"

"Sure, just don't cause a mess."

The grocery shopping lasted for a short while. Nothing bad happened except for the fact Renjun wanted to shoplift several boxes of his favorite cereal and Sicheng had to stop him by threatening to destroy his Moomin collection. And here they are under the glimmering moonlight, settled at the backyard with plates of snacks and bottles of cola for them to dig in for dinner.

"So where are the others?" Sicheng asks. "It's only the three of us here."

"Minghao ge is busy launching his art exhibition in Europe. You know how that man is, whipped for art and all like me. We have colorful blood."

"Ew," says Sicheng. "I could smash your head and see your blood is rainbow."

"Indeed. I'm the president of the gay club in our school."

"Anyways!" Chenle blurts out, an attempt to stop Renjun from saying anything more. "We don't know where Yanan ge went. Luhan ge has some business in America. Yuqi jie is filming for a Chinese variety show so she couldn't make it, and the same goes for Jieqiong jie. And Yukhei ge..."

"Pfft, fuck Yukhei. He's not an immortal nor a supernatural creature like us. Pretty sure he's doing the nasty with Jungwoo in a shitty motel right now."

"Who cares?" Chenle shrugs his shoulders. "It's like it's only the three of us keeping this family tradition alive."

"Pause," halts Renjun. "Do you ever think about us being older than Yukhei so we're practically his ancestors or great great great great grandfathers?"

Chenle guffaws. "Hell yeah, he descended from us!"

"He's just a human with powers. Same with Jungwoo."

Renjun laughs, "at least they're special too."

"Wait, what about Dejun ge?"

"Oh!" Renjun claps. "I texted him yesterday and asked if he could come with us for this traditional gathering, but he said 'I'll come next year. I have two babies to take care of.' That had me confused to be honest. Sicheng ge, isn't he a co-worker of yours?"

"Ah," Sicheng hitches his breath. "Yeah, we work under the same company."

"Two babies? He must be referring to the bonsai plants he recently bought. He can never have pets."

"Yeah," Sicheng simultaneously agrees, although he knew the truth. "Xiaojun loves his two babies more than any other plants."

"That guy really is something, I can't believe we're his distant cousins."

Sicheng reaches out for another steamed dumpling. "Let's talk about our modern lives. We're gathered here not for just the food."

"Right!" Chenle chimes. "Events in our lives have been interesting lately. Renjun ge can start."

"Sure," Renjun snaps his fingers as he chews on a piece of the roasted duck. "The other day when classes were over, I went to the convenience store to buy instant ramen. I sensed a presence inside the vent situated near the vending machines for drinks so I went to check if there was someone sneaking in there. Turns out there was some guy inside and he's wearing a flashy suit. He told me to keep quiet, but what he's doing is illegal? I mean, he's wearing an office suit so it's obvious he's not jobless."

Chenle furrows his eyebrows, "did you report him?"

"Yeah, but I was too late. When I called for the crew guy to come over and catch the man, he was no longer inside the vent. He was gone just like that. He was tricky, the vent he invaded was off the CCTV footage so I have no proof."

"He was gone when you called the worker over? That sounds strange," says Sicheng. "Who knows, he must be a supernatural creature too or something. By the way, is there anything that happened lately with your school life?"

Chenle snaps his fingers whilst he slurps his noodles. "Renjun ge kicked a junior in the face!"

Renjun chokes on his drink. "That junior was bullying Donghyuck for acing his literature exam!"

Chenle pays no heed to his complaints. "Renjun ge had to clean the boy's stinky restrooms for a whole week. And after that, he threw chalk at a teacher instead of the teacher throwing chalk at him."

"Chenle got ten detentions for talking to Jisung in class!"

"Renjun ge got into a fight with delinquents and was suspended for five days!"

"Chenle had a professor run after him across the hallways!"

"Renjun ge got hit on the face with a soccer ball!"

"Chenle striked a home run to his crotch!"

"Renjun almost exposed his ass for using pixies to cheat on a surprise quiz!"

"Chenle–"

"BOYS!" Sicheng exclaims, slapping his hands on their little wooden table. "Let's stop there, shall we? Let's just collectively agree that both of you have a reputation for rash activities and idiotic behavior, okay?"

The two fairies silenced as Sicheng downed his glass of Sprite, not until Chenle opened his mouth again.

"Is it true that Donghyuck got into a car accident?"

"Yeah. I heard everything from Ten," Sicheng sighs. "I don't know the details, but he crossed an intersection with the stoplights on green and that's it."

"That's funny," Renjun sniffs. "But you've never told us about your work life. Time to tell us."

Sicheng takes an exhalation. He chews on his Mutton Stew before facing Renjun and Chenle in the eyes. "In one sentence, I escalated from an intern to a temporary secretary and rose to fame as 'Mr. Moon'. I'm pretty reliable if you ask me. That's all there is to it."

Chenle raises an eyebrow at him. "But what about your true identity?"

"Just a few steps closer. It's not that simple, but I'm interacting with Jaehyun."

"First name terms?" Renjun taunts. "Scandalous."

"Well," Sicheng rolls his eyes. "He accidentally calls me 'Sicheng' from time to time too."

Chenle spat his drink on Renjun's shirt.

" _What_?" Chenle gasps in disbelief. "He calls you _what_?"

"He knows you're–?!"

"Yeah. Confessed and shit, now he knows everything."

"But that's– holy heck, that's absurd!" Renjun jeers. "Shall we celebrate tonight? We can go back inside at like 1 am or something, and this calls for a celebration!"

"The night is young just as we are!" Chenle beams from ear to ear. "We can find out the real face of the Dong Sicheng we know soon!"

_Ah right_ , Sicheng internally grunts. No one but Jaehyun knows his real identity. The real appearance of Dong Sicheng, a shapeshifter born during the Goryeo era has yet to be unveiled to everyone and to Sicheng himself.

Then again, life doesn't end here. In fact, their lives will never end as long as they live freely under a few safety measures. They are not ordinary humans. They are supernatural creatures blending well with the normality of the human race. May it be decades or another eternity till he gets back to his real form, Sicheng will continue to seek the real him. The real Dong Sicheng.

The night they called 'young' grew as time ticks until it was time for them to clear their little picnic and get back inside. It was enough warming time for them to relax under the starry night with gusts of chilly wind. Sicheng mostly took care of the leftovers and threw away their wrappings, settling down their used dishes in the sink. He'll leave them abandoned for the night as he doesn't have the energy to do the dishes at three in the morning.

Contrasting to not feeling the need to move around and use his negative one stamina, Sicheng hops out of his bed and turns on the lights. He skims through the arranged books in his bookshelf, running his fingers through them out of boredom. He couldn't sleep for some reasons. He never experienced insomnia before. _Must be the thoughts,_ Sicheng assures himself. _Ugh. I hate overthinking._

He always overthinks. The thoughts are always there, streaming across his mind. Vile and cruel, they leave no space for his tranquility. Sicheng never gained quietude in mind to begin with, so he's extremely jealous of Renjun and Chenle sleeping in their respective rooms as if there's no tomorrow. They seem to be having the time of their lives. He can't stand his cousins sometimes, but considering their reputation in school, Sicheng doesn't know the things they go through everyday so perhaps their family's traditional practice of flying to Shanghai is a healing time for them.

Sicheng slumps his shoulders weakly. Healing time. He never had that. He did have a day-off, but the day-off was nothing but a day full of the usual Jaehyun thoughts. And now he excused himself for this family tradition, got a full relaxation thanks to his cousins being good at talking, but the swell in his heart seems to never go away. A pity.

Sicheng pauses when he catches a familiar thick book, tucked in the middle of the arrayed books on a row of his shelf. He whips it out, causing the books to topple onto each other as a cause of the missing space. In a second, Sicheng is sitting on the floor while leaning onto his bed for comfort. He opens the book which presumably is a photobook, much to his surprise.

The photos inside belong to him. They were mostly from Sicheng's past life (or younger years if to speak to millenials), old and crusty. The photos brown and monochrome, Sicheng assumes it was either Kun or Yuta's magic to capture pictures when gadgets back then haven't been invented yet, most likely Kun because he was close to their expanded clan. The first photo he sees is their vast family's photo settled in the Zhong family's luxurious living room as far as he could tell from the vague background. Among the family members he could recognize in the image were Renjun and Chenle, dressed in traditional Chinese costumes. Yuqi, Minghao and Yanan were all present, as well as other relatives Sicheng had forgotten the names of. Nonetheless, Sicheng can't spot a face that can possibly be his true form.

He scrutinizes the image. His mother and his father, Mr. and Mrs. Huang, Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, and even Yuqi's parents were there. They were a family of diversity and merged clans in the past, so surely the family picture consists of more than forty people.

He can't find the same face he saw in the sabotaged version of Jaehyun's journal. There is no one with a pointy ear either.

Sicheng's thoughts were abruptly paused when he hears his door swing open, a sleepy Renjun stepping in. The fairy closes the door behind him and rubbed his eyes as if it's his habit. Sicheng watches him wobble his way to his side with half-lidded eyes and bedraggled hair.

"What are you doing here?" Whispers Sicheng, certain that there is still a sleeping Chenle somewhere in the house.

"Woke up, what else?" Renjun blatantly replies. He sits down on the floor beside Sicheng, leaning onto his shoulder instead of onto the bed.

"It's not like it has been an hour already, has it? You can't just sleep for less than an hour."

"For your information, it's already thirty past five in the morning."

Sicheng freezes. They went to bed at three in the morning. Gasp, he had been lying in bed for two hours and a half?

"Are you serious?" Sicheng inquires, narrowing his eyebrows in suspicion. "Why'd you come here anyway?"

"Nightmare, just like the old days."

Renjun must've casted a fairy spell on him because as if caught in a magical trance, Sicheng immediately turned soft for Renjun. Just like the old days, he said. Reminds Sicheng of the past when they lived under the same roof for some years, and whenever Renjun would have a nightmare, he'd barge into Sicheng's room at godly hours. Just like the old days.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Renjun nods. "Mark and Donghyuck got bullied in school for being gay. I think what I dreamed just now is a vision from the future."

Sicheng's ears perk up. "To whom were they gay for?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're gay for each other. I don't know what's with them at the moment, nor do I know if they're really dating, but one thing for sure is that they have a crush on each other. I'm actually scared, you know."

Sicheng doesn't respond. Renjun takes it as a sign for him to continue talking.

"People in our school are... Homophobic. If they find out Chenle and Jisung are a thing–"

"They are a thing?"

Renjun soughs. "You had no idea?"

" _What_ ," Sicheng heaves. "I'm not that oblivious, am I?"

"Okay, that's plus points for those two for being great actors. They're really good at keeping secrets," Renjun laughs. His face returned back to normal, to the cheerless one that hurts Sicheng's heart a little. "So... If the school finds out they're dating, they might get into trouble."

"Then transfer into another school."

"Oh for sure we can do that!" Renjun brightens. "Lele doesn't want to study anymore and so do the rest of us. We can settle for jobs after completing the last semester."

"That's good to hear then, I wish you good luck. What about Mark and Donghyuck's situation though?"

"In my dream, oh god... You wouldn't want to know."

"I want to."

"Uh, they were..." Renjun pauses. "Eating each other's faces in the janitor's closet."

Sicheng doesn't react. "Renjun dear, I've seen something worse, twice."

"Well," Renjun tilts his head. He decides not to question what Sicheng meant, not curious about it anyway. "Best wishes to Mark and Hyuck. I can't imagine living forever just to not see them confess to each other and mate already."

Sicheng laughs softly before he realizes the photobook is still laying on his lap. He taps the yawning Renjun on the shoulder and gestures to the image taped on the page faded of brown. Renjun had to squint thrice to analyze what he was seeing.

"I'm assuming this is our family picture from the past."

"Indeed. Kun ge was the one in charge of the 'camera' spell."

"Always the generous wizard, isn't he?" Sicheng fawns. "By the way, I have to ask you something. Are there any faces here that you could guess is my true form?"

"Good grief, how could I tell?" Renjun dramatically moans. "I told you already when you broke your leg. We don't know how you look like in your real form because you shapeshifted a lot."

"I'm asking for conjectures, not facts."

"Fine!" Renjun gives in. His eyes shift to the page of the photobook, leaning closer to take a better view despite his wooziness. He points at the man on the second row, third from left. "Maybe this must be you?"

"Idiot!" Sicheng pulls the fairy's ear, eliciting a whimper from him. "That's Xiaojun, and I don't look like him whatsoever!"

"Okay okay! Then what about this woman?" Renjun slides his finger to the bottom corner. "She looks gorgeous. Oh wait–"

"Are you fucking serious? I'm pretty sure I was born as a man and not the opposite gender," Sicheng carps. "And that's Jieqiong you're pointing at, you foolish conspirator wannabe!"

"I'm telling you, I don't have the slightest idea! You could be one of these three fetuses on the front row being carried by their mothers because they can't even walk yet or you could be one of these bald-headed shamans that were given a position of high divinity in our clan!"

Sicheng doesn't speak for a moment. He does glare at Renjun, pressing his lips in a silenced fit of pique. It ticks him off. Even his closest cousin doesn't know who he truly is. Sickening. Sicheng's life so far is damn bittersweet.

"You really could work at Buzzfeed now or build your own social media page of conspiracy theories," Sicheng sarcastically says. "You're letting my case slide off as unsolved, right?"

"We have no evidence to back up what you really look like, and none of us knows how the fuck you look like when you were um, a middle-aged man babysitting Chenle's nephew."

"Shut up! I didn't want to be reminded–"

"Chenle's nephew is amazing," Renjun gawks in reminiscence. Sicheng swears he saw stars in his orbs. "His poos are fairy dust. He pees with glitters. Vomits vibrant rainbows."

"And shitted on me with warts and chewing gum stuck on my hair. I wasn't able to shapeshift for a month because of that illuminati's curse."

"I remember!" Renjun claps like a seal, dying of laughter. "You were in a maid disguise just to catch the baby's attention and turns out he actually doesn't like you– phew, the stench!"

"Can we stop talking about this? We keep drifting away and away from what we were supposed to discuss."

"What are we supposed to discuss?"

Sicheng slams the photobook on the floor. "How do I find out my true identity?"

Renjun pursues his lips into a thin line. "One way or another. Ask your ex or flatter him to get out his best. Is that too hard?"

Sicheng droops his head down, exhausted.

"It's not that simple."

Morning scattered with sunshine shimmers through their glass windows and Renjun is the one to cook breakfast for the three of them. Thanks to the fairy's magic, Sicheng is able to get a good night's sleep although his slumber was still short. And now they're gathered on the dining table eating steamed buns, wheat noodles, and rice porridge, talking about what to do with Yukhei's corpse if he dies someday.

"We could place it beside Jungwoo's gravestone so that's grimly romantic," suggests Sicheng as he takes out the frozen dumplings from the refrigerator.

"Well? We can raise them from the dead if ever."

"Shut up! That's illegal and was banned a long time ago," Renjun berates.

"But I revived Jisung's dog after her pregnancy and I wasn't arrested for being a criminal."

"Asshole, why did you do that? We're not necromancers."

"It hurts to see her die after giving birth to five puppies, okay? They were tugging on their mama to not leave them when they're just like twenty minutes old, and I can't bear to see something like that so I did what I had to do. Reviving the dead is not a crime! You hear me?" Chenle chunters. "Besides, you're the president of the school's gay club. Wasn't your motto 'do crime, be gay, and floor hets'? Big emphasis on 'Do Crime'."

"Ugh," Renjun groans. "You beat me this time."

"So how's school, boys?" Sicheng shifts the topic to a new one while frying the dumplings. "You're skipping three days of classes just to spend time with me. Is your reputation alright?"

"Not really, but I still have my pride. We're gonna get our asses whooped for taking absence for three days, but that doesn't matter! Family is more important anyway."

"Renjun ge is right. We skipped because we wanted to be with you instead of learning Calculus in school."

Sicheng places his hands on his hips. "You know I hate both of you but at the same time I like your personality."

"The bloodline is powerful," Renjun flips his imaginary hair. "Chenle broke the bloodline. He didn't have the puissant genes and that sucks."

"I do nothing and I still get attacked."

They were hauled out from their conversation when the doorbell rang. Renjun thwacks his chopsticks to his bowl and races to answer the door. The first thing he sees outside is the parcel placed on top of their porch's carpet. Renjun takes it in and checks the tag as he wends his way back to the dining room. Chenle peeks from his shoulder and gasps.

"Is it from any of our relatives?" Sicheng asks without sparing them a glance, too occupied in placing the steamed dumplings on a serving bowl.

"No. It's from your ex."

"My _what_ now?"

Chenle gulps, "it's from Jaehyun."

Time elapsed.

Sicheng comes back with higher work efficiency and is welcomed with a mirthful secretarial department. The healing vacation with his cousins paid off. Truly they had a great time together for only three days, but there is something he couldn't get out of his mind ever since.

The parcel he received from Jaehyun was not a normal parcel, to him at least. It didn't leave his mind even as the hours and days passed.

Jaehyun gifted him two vintage robes of different colors each, the first one being peach pink and the other a mint green. The specialty of the present that shot Sicheng on the heart wasn't the colors nor the ordinary package pleasantly wrapped enough for aesthetics, but it's the fact Jaehyun still remembers his address. Jaehyun can still recall one of his addresses in a hundred (Sicheng shifts from houses to houses; he has generous relatives for a reason. Out of all their houses, Jaehyun seems to still be aware of the location of the Zhong family's house where Sicheng would stay over often because of the furniture's coziness and the fresh atmosphere supported by the air purifiers in each room).

"Mr. Moon!"

Sicheng hauls from his daydream, shaking his head as an overemphasis. He nods to Jaemin with an apologetic look, certainly sorry he spaced out in the middle of the hallways as they were on their way to a meeting with the marketing team.

"You were spacing out. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. I guess."

The two of them wend their way to the conference room wherein the marketing team is already settled including their young manager, Liu Yangyang. Jaemin glares at the marketing manager before perching down in his seat, Sicheng later doing the same next to him. As much as Jaemin and Yangyang are seconds away from ripping each other's throat off, Sicheng would also like to gain peace of mind.

As soon as the meeting begins under Yangyang's command, his phone vibrates next to the stamped documents laid out in front of him. Sicheng slickly glances at his lock screen which automatically turned on. The first thing he sees is the message from the person he least expected to send him a message.

' _Come to my house tonight. I need you to organize my mini library_.'

Like a simple night it is, Sicheng busily arranges the logbooks and textbooks on the CEO's shelves, taking a glimpse of the book title on its width side every second. He notices a thick logbook squeezed between two business how-to's textbook. Sicheng thinks it's peculiar so he snatches it from the shelf to take a look and see.

_'Applicants for Mr. Jung Yoon Oh's secretary'_

The shapeshifter widens his eyes in shock. The more he looks at the title carved on the leather-bound cover, the more his curiosity grew. He flips the pages one by one, the first secretary being a woman who is a Cambridge graduate. Another is a certified professional secretary, and more women who were considered professional unlike Sicheng, only a temporary one.

What astonishes Sicheng is the fact that none of them lasted a month but Doyoung. He flips till the last page and sees Doyoung's excellent and admirable records (even Doyoung's young image in his pasted ID picture is handsome it had Sicheng in awe). Next to his page was blank. Sicheng shouldn't be surprised. There's no way he could make it to Jaehyun's list of outstanding secretaries.

"Why does it seems like he prefers me instead of these people?"

Jaehyun marches in from the living room as if on cue. Sicheng slowly lowers the record book to fully have his attention on the CEO. He must've heard.

"Do you want to know why I prefer you out of all these people?"

Sicheng nods. The look on his eyes is anticipating and kind of glum too if to talk about the fact that he didn't see Jaehyun for three days.

Jaehyun inhales a deep breathe in. It takes him a moment to answer, pausing and seeming a bit hesitant till he slides his hands into his pockets.

"Because you are Sicheng. You are Dong Sicheng."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no other special reasons. It's because Dong Sicheng is the one with the least impressive credentials."

"What?"

"I choose someone who'd go to different parts of the world with me and undergo a lot of difficulties. I don't think overqualified people could handle it. That's why I choose a person with the least impressive credentials. Someone who would never be scouted by another company or quit."

"And here I thought that there was some other special reason." Sicheng presses his lips into a thin line, putting back the book to the shelf.

"You see, Doyoung keeps leaving my side because he has impressive records, so companies keep inviting him over and help them in their jobs. However you, Sicheng, are here with me. May I leave you or not if needed, you'd stay safe here in this country. In my home. And never leave."

Sicheng doesn't answer. Within a few minutes, he fixed himself as Jaehyun escorted him out of his house. The whole walk from his porch to his gates isn't so full of conversations. Instead, they have an awkward silence wrapped around their fingers and Sicheng doesn't think it's good for their mental health. He bids farewell first.

"I'll head home now."

Sicheng doesn't look back at his ex. He shapeshifts into a firefly in the dark without waiting for Jaehyun to say goodbye.

"Work is such a pain!"

In the lounge room, Xiaojun is trying to deal with Yangyang's whines by distracting himself. The environmental manager pushes his spectacles back up after it slides, his focus fixated on the graphic charts printed on papers.

"Hey Dejun, where's Dery?"

"He's probably somewhere munching on meat or playing tarot cards. I believe you could do better than him. You can do much work while he's slacking off."

"Bold of you to assume I'm in the mindset to work." Yangyang scowls. "What breed is Dery anyway? Your example sounded peculiar."

"Of course he's not human?"

"I meant his specific kind."

"Wizard and werewolf. Half-half."

"You?"

"Vampire with ¼ fairy blood. Gosh Yang, you don't know your boyfriends' species?"

"I never bothered to know," Yangyang shrugs. He whips out his phone from his pocket to prevent himself from being bored. He actually has his work capacity filled to the brim and his assigned indentures are littered all over the coffee table in front of him and Xiaojun. He just hates work.

As Xiaojun continues to scribble on his drafts with essential notes, the half-shapeshifter is scrolling on his phone without a care in the world. He can take all the scolding and criticisms later when he gets back to his floor.

The lounge room is tranquil, and Yangyang lying on the luxury couch without manners makes everything better for him. Xiaojun doesn't bother to tell him he's not in their apartment. As studious as the plant enthusiast can get, he wants to finish all his work today as soon as possible.

Xiaojun is hauled from his thoughts when Yangyang lets out a dramatic gasp. He turns to look at the marketing manager who had his eyes bulging from surprise. Whatever made him shell-shocked must've been such a bomb.

"What?"

Yangyang says as he shows the screen to Xiaojun. Xiaojun had to squint a bit to identify what Yangyang is referring to.

"They're rumors, but I can't believe–"

"Mr. Kim has a new boyfriend?"

Jaehyun glances at the earnings report Sicheng brought him a few minutes ago. He tucks his phone between his ear and shoulder while flipping the papers to see the charts at the back.

"It's me Jaehyun. I don't know what kind of service the European company made them, but we can't afford to pull all their items from our stores. I think we'll have to meet with them and renegotiate the contract. I'm convinced this is their ulterior motive in pulling such an act like this."

A groan is heard from the other line. "So we'll have to fly all the way to France?"

"Yes. Let's leave tomorrow."

Jaehyun tucks the device under his notes, snatching his corporate coat from his seat. He heads out of his office to tell the secretarial department to book his flight, have Sicheng arrange the things he needs for the foreign renegotiations and most of all, collect Johnny's sanity. He wishes staying in Paris wouldn't be so long now that he won't be able to see Sicheng for at least a week.

He shrugs to himself. He has accepted his fate.

Accompanying Jaehyun to the airport for the CEO to catch his flight wasted his time. As soon as Jaehyun disappeared to his plane, Sicheng never bid him farewell and immediately sprinted to his chauffeur service to drive back to the company. The company without its CEO is a total hustle, but at the same time, it's ironically peaceful. Sicheng saw the secretarial members working diligently without any worries now that they don't have an aloof CEO to greet every time he passes by their office and head to his. It's a relief to see such a sight.

Sicheng has to make a few calls with a company on the list of their business partners, but he'll save them for later. He has a lot of time without a Jung Jaehyun bossing him around. As for now, he can enjoy a simple lunch at the cafeteria with his least favorite boys.

"Are the payrolls going well, Mr. Accountant?"

"Have you formulated the company's organizational goals, Mr. CIO?"

"Of course I did!" Jaemin huffs. "Working on it for a whole hour took a toll on my body. You don't know how it feels to be a CIO."

"You don't know how it feels to be an accountant when I hate math with my entire being so shut up and stop thinking you're special."

"I don't think it'll benefit us if we argue over a pointless thing, right?" Sicheng intervenes. "Let's be civil. Are marketing sales regarding the art exhibition next year going smoothly?"

"Yangyang is actually handling it well. If you wish to have an overview of the sales, you can visit the sales department."

"I'm assured, thank you. Work hard after eating lunch then rest."

"You should rest too," Jeno replies. "Do you still have time to rest? I feel like reports and meetings are being shoved to your face now that the CEO is out of the country."

"Exactly!" Jaemin chimes. "He left too soon. Didn't even tell me about it so I could go with him to the airport."

"Uh," Sicheng rubs the left spot on his neck. "I'm handling things well, you don't have to worry. I prepared them beforehand."

"As expected from you, Mr. Moon."

When Jaehyun places his files onto his bed one by one, the first thing he sees is the sticky note on his clipboard. The handwriting alone tells who it was from.

_'I prepared things as if I was with you'_

Before Jaehyun could spend a minute to observe Sicheng's neat handwriting, Johnny's knocks from the door sent him out of his trance.

"We have to go."

Jaehyun only nods. He shuffles the arranged documents on his luggage, grabbing the ones necessary to bring. He tails after Johnny out his hotel room and to the parking lot.

It doesn't take them long to arrive at the meeting place. It's situated in an ostentatious restaurant worth six times more than anyone's rent. Followed after eating their meals is the actual discussion spoken in English.

"Once the brand launches in Seoul Assamblage's groups..."

"We need a new business strategy because last year's result was below expectation," says the foreign negotiator.

Jaehyun listens closely. His urge to get back to the hotel and rest is real, considering he was on the plane for more than ten hours. At some details they were mentioning, Jaehyun constantly takes a few glimpses of his papers to check the sales. The meeting continued on and on until it reaches a critical point.

"Our goal is to increase the amount by more than ten percent compared to last year."

"That's right."

Jaehyun glances at Johnny for confirmation. Johnny scrunches his face as if to say 'we have no choice'.

The CEO flashes them a smile. "Okay, we'll do everything for you. Good?"

"Good."

With a satisfied grin, Jaehyun signs the legal document with his formal penmanship.

"Good morning, I'm Lee Junyoung and I'll be working with you as of today!"

A round of applause rings throughout the secretarial department's office. Sicheng is there too, using the desktop on the corner to type a draft for authoritative reports of their recent charts.

You have to know that there were so many applicants who wanted to transfer to our team," Hongjoong proudly says. "But to make you come, I, the Mitochondria of this team, used my influence. You know that?"

His statement had the other members of the secretarial department wheezing. San jokingly shakes his head and mouths 'don't believe him' to the newbie. On the other side, Wooyoung is rolling his eyes while Jongho presses his lips together in doubt.

"Yes. I'll work hard." Junyoung shyly responds. "I don't need anything big. I just want to be like the stem cells of the human body. I may not stand out like the other cells but I'd like to be the person who does his job."

Hongjoong has his mouth shaped in an 'o'. "I love that mindset."

"By the way, I heard that you were appointed to our team. But I didn't know that you'd come this soon."

Junyoung bows at Yunho's compliment. "It's really an honor to work with all of you."

"The CEO decided matters on this," Sicheng mentions. "I'm glad he appreciated you."

"Oh right. When is he going to come back?"

"After two days," Jongho answers. Unbeknownst to them, Sicheng was grinning at the back.

"Oh man," Yeosang says with a satirical voice. "It was great working without him."

"The good days are all gone."

"Tell me about it. I wish his flight gets delayed even just for a day!" Wooyoung caterwauls. "I wish he takes as much time as he can!"

Unbeknownst to them, the temporary secretary was about to combust.

"Goodness, he's coming too soon."

"Hey, stop talking. We're going to lose our jobs."

"We're so unlucky."

"We're doomed."

Sicheng abruptly slams a hand against his desk. All eyes shift to him in like a bolt from the blue. Mingi flinches so hard he drops the entirety of Seonghwa's pile of reports.

Sicheng only flashes them a gentle smile even though they all know he's infuriated deep inside.

"Well, let's go back to work. Okay?"

Jaehyun steps out of the hotel they are staying in. The skies of dusk are psychedelic as ever, the gray clouds completing the scenic view like soft cotton balls. Maundering through the hustles of the town glimmering with lights, Jaehyun can feel the placidity he never knew he needed.

However, his senses are advanced. He can feel something odd and sporadic. It’s not the desire to drink blood early in the night after almost slipping into the symptoms of jet lag, neither it is the strong urge to continue working till the morning sun comes which might annoy the fuck out of Johnny.

Jaehyun is certain a pair of eyes is watching him from afar. It may be the hunch weighed on his shoulders. He couldn’t bear not spotting who that person is so he turns around and immediately searches for that particular person.

Amidst the citizens making haste past the sidewalks and crossing road intersections situated between fancy buildings, Jaehyun saw the longing eyes he once loved.

“You reserved this? When our meeting was an impromptu?”

“It’s supposed to be a casual dinner for me and a business partner, but he couldn’t come. I thought I can go with you instead.”

“Oh.”

“What a coincidence. Meeting you here in France was something I never expected. What were you doing out there anyway?”

“Fresh air. Needed it.”

“You look bored,” Doyoung crosses his arms. “Can we have a sincere talk? I saw everything through my magic.”

Jaehyun doesn’t respond. He doesn’t budge a muscle in his limbs either.

“Eat up,” Doyoung points his fork to Jaehyun’s plate filled with Cueillette of girolles knob. “You look scrawny. You need to eat.”

“Don’t think this is a date. Just a sincere reunion.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “You don’t sound sincere at all.”

Jaehyun pushes his fork back to his plate as if he has given up and leans back to his chair. “Sorry. I was just taken aback.”

Doyoung swallows his red tuna of Mediterranean. “By who?”

“By you. Meeting you wasn’t inevitable. I haven’t seen your face for over weeks.”

“Well, seeing your face is like drinking water after a lifetime in the desert.”

Jaehyun doesn't react. His nonchalance never fails to bother the intelligent mage.

“Yeah sure. Let’s be comfortable.”

“You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“Let’s just talk like we used to,” Jaehyun replies, eventually spooning himself a bite of his Cueillette. “How are the foreign embassies you’re handling?”

“You’re leaving again after this, aren’t you? We wouldn’t see each other again for the next few days unless I come back early. Let’s make up the most for today. I don’t want us to talk about business in front of our baguettes.”

“Well,” Jaehyun pauses. “Go on and tell me anything.”

“I know everything. You can’t hide anything from me.”

Jaehyun’s cheekbones tensed.

“What?”

“Let’s have an honest talk, okay?” Doyoung assures. “Was our relationship ever real? Were we ever real?”

“Then how would you explain all those dirty nights and my presents? The anniversary celebrations and dates?”

Doyoung halts. It doesn’t take him long to shift his gaze to the nearest window capturing a picturesque view of the city. He points to a certain structure established a few kilometers away from the Eiffel tower. “Remember that rooftop? We were young and vivid. We didn’t have a care in the world. We indulged ourselves in all the wine bottles and slept beneath the duvet covers showered with rose petals.”

It takes Jaehyun a moment to realize he was referring to the rooftop of Terrass Hotel in Montmartre.

“I remember.”

“We once swore to prove eternal love,” Doyoung adds. Despair gradually blows the colors away from Doyoung’s face. “But now I don’t think we can fulfill that. I can read your mind. I know your dilemma.”

“Oh.”

An embrace of silence.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you ever felt used. Just know I had true feelings towards you.”

“It’s okay, I knew from the start. I’ve been reading your mind all the time. I knew you were still in love with Sicheng.”

“I’m really sorry,” presses Jaehyun. “I was faulty too. I was terrible.”

“To be honest, I’m sorry too. All of this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t hop into the picture. I started all of these." Doyoung heaves a groan. "The citizens of Seoul would've not caused a rampage just to choose between me and Sicheng for you if I didn’t exist. It could’ve been better if I didn’t take advantage of you that night just because of my selfishness.”

“Don’t think like that,” begs the younger man, seizing Doyoung’s hand from across the table. “We wouldn’t have learned the true motive of loving each other if you weren’t here.”

Doyoung holds back a cry.

“Thank you,” he chokes. “Thank you, Jaehyun, for giving me the chance. You helped me ran away from my problems.”

“I should be the one to thank you. You taught me the values of love.”

“I didn’t mean to love you so much. You were the only person I thought I could trust.”

“If I could stay here with you forever, I would.”

“Mind the emphasis on your third word,” Doyoung shots him a fond smile. “Are we in clear terms now?”

“Seems like we are.”

“So,” the mage takes a sip of his wine. “Let’s end this.”

“Alright.”

It was supposed to be a heavy atmosphere, but since they are good talkers, it was unexpectedly light. Jaehyun’s straightforwardness doesn’t affect Doyoung as he is starting to giggle. With his contagious laughter, Jaehyun lets out a soft laugh too.

They chattered about the random things in their life, if Doyoung is getting used to the European lifestyle while shifting from countries to countries, and how has Jaehyun been handling the challenges their company is currently facing. They’ve finished their main meals and in friendly terms, Doyoung is feeding Jaehyun his Crispy veg with cocoa crust.

“Which hotel are you staying in?”

“Motel One Paris-Porte Dorée.”

“I’m in Hôtel La Nouvelle République. That’s in the eleventh arrondissement of Paris.”

“It’s a small world,” Doyoung says. “I’m glad I met you here.”

“Same. Paris brings me back the memories.”

“We were a reckless couple tricked by the god of love.”

“Stop thinking about the hardships. We tried our best to end this in the most satisfactory way. It’s only our honesty that matters as the lion’s share.”

“Honesty you say?" Doyoung scoffs. "In that case, there’s one more important thing I have to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honest to God you all have no idea how much time I spent in research to make things accurate LIKE the Chinese lifestyle, streets in Seoul and other trademarks in European countries; EVERYTHING. I assure you that I'm not a traveler bruh I haven't even gotten out of this country in my whole life ;;;;
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	7. In the cold light of day, We're a flame in the wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lunch scandal, a mop fight, and a wrong number.

Jaehyun flew back to Korea way too early than expected. The first thing Sicheng does after arriving at work is go hell for leather to his office and settle the things needed to be done. Jaehyun's office is as neat as ever. No one ever entered it the whole time he was away in France, but there is one thing Sicheng has to do.

He tries to be positive by assuring himself Jaehyun is still on a drive from the airport. The sun is up, it's around nine in the morning, but Sicheng is certain the CEO is on his way back to the company. A bit panicked, he bends down to the corner of Jaehyun's office to fix the wires and cables connected to his desktop. He forgets to switch off the power button of the control panel, too hurried in trying to entangle the octopus connection of the many wires.

From outside the office, Sicheng hears the faint sound of footsteps growing louder and louder as seconds tick by. He attempts to pull a wire away from the other cables and rips the protection wrappings apart for easier management.

The footsteps are coming nearer. Unbeknownst to Sicheng, the overheated control panel from afar where the wires are connected were ejected unintentionally as he pulled one wire to insert to the desktop's software. He hears the electrifying noise of loose wires coming into contact with each other. At the same time, the door opens.

Sicheng feels the heat of something before jumping from his spot. He caused a fire.

"Oh no," he gasps. His heart sinks to his feet when he hears the thud from the door, seeing the CEO flinch by the doorframe. The fire is starting to get bigger in size, and Sicheng has no time to panic. "I'll put this out, my god, I'll put it out!"

The fright on Jaehyun's face doesn't seem to fade away. It eventually does, only when the secretary grabs a hold of the fire extinguisher from the corner and puts out the fire.

Sicheng brushes his sideburns, embarrassed.

"I messed up."

"I didn't know you're afraid of fire."

"Only in inevitable situations. It's mentioned in vampire tales."

"But you said not all vampire tales are true."

"Right," Jaehyun sighs. "We're immune to sunlight. We never age once we reach our peak manifestation. What else do you need to know?"

"Do you know how to love?"

Jaehyun spits on his drink. Sicheng hands him a set of table napkins and dusts his shirt.

"Your T-bone steak is gonna get cold. Aren’t you tired from jet lag?”

“No,” Jaehyun shakes his head. “I feel like Johnny’s more affected by that.”

“But he came to work today?”

“He's napping in his office probably until some intern has to wake him up.”

“Now that’s out of my league.” Sicheng chews on his fillet. “How was the stay in Paris?”

“It went well.”

“Then why did you come back earlier than scheduled?”

“Johnny and I wrapped up the renegotiations quickly so we could go home soon.”

“I don’t think I’m convinced,” Sicheng shrugs his shoulders while munching on his meal. “But sure if you say so.”

Jaehyun spends a whole minute staring at the man sitting across him. Sicheng wasn’t too bothered by it, his attention more fixated on his fillet and his crispy ox cheek. Jaehyun only jolts when their eyes met.

“Oh right, I have something to give you.”

Jaehyun stretches his arm to his pocket and unearths a piece of jewelry to hand it to Sicheng. It’s gold, Sicheng always preferred gold than sterling silver, and it takes him a moment to realize Jaehyun really hasn’t forgotten his preferences.

“It’s something I bought in Paris.”

Letters were engraved on the bracelet in smooth black. Sicheng has no idea what the phrase means as he has never spoken in French besides ‘bonjour’. Whatever it is, it must be endearing.

Jaehyun puts the bracelet on for him. He grasps his hands tightly as he intertwines their fingers.

“I hope you treasure it well.”

It’s a sunny day, just in time for Xiaojun to draw his curtains to let the sunlight in his open office. He fumbles with a few of his gardening tools in the corner of the room, eventually grabbing the hose and twists open the faucet. For him, the best way to take a break from reading a bunch of reports is to sprinkle his plants and wallow himself in gardening.

He steps out of his office (it looked like more of a shed connected to the company building) where his plants are photosynthesizing, hose sprinkling water in hand. He lowers his eyes to avoid eye contact with the sun and begins to gently sway his hose towards the set of greenery and shrubs he has been growing himself. His nerves are heavily calm. He’s too relaxed, humming a lullaby. The sound of water being spritz without a stop resonates throughout his office. It’s a peaceful day.

Only when his heart stops as someone barges in his office did he scream.

Xiaojun frantically aims his hose inside his office where the person is. He may have jolted too much but it luckily wasn’t enough to aim for his desk nor his shelves. He later calms down and when he realizes what he’s doing, he directs his hose back to the plants before running to the sink to turn off the running water. He averts his attention back to the person who has been pound to the floor with the water’s force.

“I’m drenched!”

“You could’ve knocked!” Xiaojun fires back. “You scared me!”

“Do I look like a monster to you?”

Xiaojun glares at the marketing manager. “What did you come here for?”

Yangyang scrambles to his feet from the puddle forming beneath him. He’s careful not to slip enough and whips out his phone from his corporate coat’s pocket (Xiaojun has no idea why it’s inside his coat and only Hendery would’ve accepted that kind of trick. He doesn’t even know why he’s in love with two crackheads). He scrolls for a few seconds before showing to Xiaojun whatever is on his screen.

It takes the half-vampire to ascertain the image on his phone. It’s a zoomed picture of Jaehyun’s side profile in view, his hands gripping someone else’s over a dining table. Xiaojun snatches his phone to see the details better. Unfortunately for him, it was only a picture captured originally by the zoom in feature and now Xiaojun is dying to know whoever the owner of the other hands is.

“Elaborate.”

“Dery sent it to me just an hour ago. He said he saw the CEO with someone else when he came to order his team’s lunch meals in Manhattan Grill,” Yangyang places his hands on his hips. “But he didn’t see who the person was. He took a picture, got his orders and left.”

“Why did he not see?”

“I don’t know, am I Hendery?”

“Was it a girl?”

“The hand looks veiny. I’d say it’s not a girl.”

“Then who could it be?”

Before Yangyang could shrug his shoulders, a knock is heard and someone pushes the door open. He peeks around the office first and steps inside with a large box. Xiaojun darts next to the temp secretary to help him lay down the box of stockpile beside the shelves.

“It’s the new succulents you bought online. Taeyong asked me to fetch it to your office since it had been sitting on the mailing desk for days now.”

“Oh geez,” Xiaojun lets out a sound of disappointment. “I totally forgot I bought them.”

Sicheng turns to look at the frozen Yangyang who hasn’t moved an inch from the puddle surrounding his shoes. The puddle only keeps growing bigger as long as his soaked pants are still dripping droplets. Yangyang didn’t need to be asked by the temporary secretary why is he in an unpresentable state, though to say he’s mortified to be seen by his idol in a wrong timing would be a lie.

“I didn’t piss my pants,” Yangyang blurts, swatting his hands in denial. “Xiaojun sprayed water on me because he’s a coward.”

“I’m not!”

“That’s… authentic,” Sicheng forces a smile. “I’ll go. Mr. Liu, be sure to change into new pants.”

Sicheng closes the door on his way out. Xiaojun taps his own chin and faces Yangyang.

“Did you see his wrist?”

Yangyang shakes his head. “What’s with his wrist?”

“He was wearing a bracelet. A golden one, to be specific.”

With furrowed brows, he glances back at the image on his phone and gasps in disbelief.

“So it’s Mr. Moon?” Yangyang shivers from the dampness of his lower limbs. "But why does it have 'mon amour' in it–"

“You think he heard?”

“No, shapeshifters don’t have advanced senses.”

“But it seems like we were too loud!” Xiaojun protests. “So did Hendery not post the picture online or–”

“Sucks for you to guess he wouldn’t. Of course he would!”

Xiaojun runs his fingers through his hair in distress. “I feel like something bad is going to happen.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just get out, I still have reports to do.”

Yangyang grumbles, pointing at the wet floor under him. “What am I supposed to do with this little pool?”

“Mop it than mope on it.”

Jeno and Jaemin saunter in the male's restroom with heavy footsteps as a result of their latest meeting with the CFO that lasted for two hours. They're visibly tired. It's written all over their faces and Jaemin can't help but rant about it to the accountant.

"Johnny hyung really wants us to suffer, doesn't he?"

"Shush! He might hear us!"

"The fuck are you talking about? He's like a hundred floors above us."

Jeno narrows his brows. "He's only two floors above your office, you idiot!"

"Wait, what floor are we?"

"Your floor. Tenth floor, you dummy!"

"And Johnny hyung's in...?"

"Twelfth floor. Jeez, I bet Mr. Moon memorized all the office and floors better than you."

As they pootle their way inside the restroom, Jaemin was about to prattle on about 'I still can't believe Mr. Moon is Jaehyun hyung's ex' for the umpteenth time that day when Jeno clamps his mouth close. Jeno places his finger on his lips, a sign for Jaemin to shut the fuck up and listen closely.

As they heard voices from the other side of the bathroom near the sink, Jeno drags Jaemin to the nearest open cubicle and locks themselves in to not be seen by whoever was out there. Jaemin still wasn't in his conscious mind, however, grinning like a lovesick at Jeno and steals a kiss from him on the cheek. Jeno silently shrieks and signs for Jaemin to understand the context of the situation. It takes a matter of time for him to comprehend why the mage locked them in a cubicle until he hears echoed voices from the other end of the bathroom.

"Have you heard the news about Mr. Moon? I think he's not so nice anymore."

"I know right? I believe he's trying to make the CEO cheat on secretary Kim."

"Now that makes sense! He acts like he owns Mr. Jung."

"Exactly. When their IKEA date was all over the news, the first thing I thought was 'why are they suddenly domestic publicly?' I wonder how Mr. Kim reacted."

"Boy, Mr. Kim didn't come to Europe to be disrespected in Korea."

Inside the cubicle, Jeno stays frozen with Jaemin on his chokehold. The young vampire pivots his stiff shoulder, planning to riot any second from now.

"That temporary secretary acts like he's an official one. Heck, no one can ever top Mr. Kim's credentials!"

"How can he keep up with all the work and requests from the CEO? I'm actually surprised. Maybe he's just lazy beyond that image of top secretary next to Mr. Kim?"

"We can fabricate rumors."

"Yeah, Mr. Moon is probably just lazy. Gosh, what if the secretarial department is the one handling things all along? Worse, what if it was Mr. Jung taking care of everything?"

"My god, that would've been so horrible."

Jaemin couldn't take it anymore. He hates to admit his wizard of a boyfriend has strong limbs wrapped around his neck and waist. Nonetheless, Jaemin is fuming as seconds ticked by.

"I'm so infuriated, I want him kicked out of the company!"

"Hey now, we can't do that. Mr. Kim trusts him with all his life."

"Why does secretary Kim have to be naive?! It's clearly obvious he's going to be cheated on at this point."

"To be honest I knew something was up between those two. Mr. Moon hasn't even lasted a month and yet somehow landed on that job. He's only temporary anyway."

"You know what, I hate people who use their looks to get ahead. It's not like I can use my looks to go on and leave everything behind. Mr. Moon really is one of a terrible kind."

"Ew, he has no class."

Jaemin lost it. He bites Jeno on the arm with his fangs and kicks open the door. The two other boys still chilling by the sink shot up to see Jaemin burst out of the cubicle. Jeno is quite taken aback by the force and clings to the toilet for support.

"Excuse me?" Jaemin stomps towards them, bloodlust splotched all over his expression. "That was way out of line. Mr. Moon is not that kind of person!"

Jeno jolts out of the cubicle, wearing the same vexed face similar to Jaemin's. "That's right! Mr. Moon is the second most sedulous person I've ever seen after Mr. Jung!"

"How can you badmouth him like this when you don't even know him well?!"

Jeno places his hands on his hips, still ogling the two younger interns with disgust. "Don't you think this is wrong?! Huh?!"

The other intern, whose name is Hwang Hyunjin, rolls his eyes. "What is wrong with you two?"

"Are you teachers or what? Who are you to lecture us?" The other intern named Lee Minho sighs. "We can badmouth him if we want to. It's none of your business."

At this point, Jaemin was puffing for air since he had his lungs oppressed for too long thanks to the anger seeping through his nerves. Jeno on the other hand kept glaring and grumbling at the interns.

"That's right. Are you taking Mr. Moon's side thinking you'll benefit from it if things between him and Mr. Jung go well?" Hyunjin sarcastically claps. "How clever."

"A secretary and a temporary one at that who's going all out to seduce Mr. Jung and his co-workers who curry favor with Mr. Moon to benefit from him." Minho taunts them with a wagging finger. "Goodness, birds of a feather flock together indeed."

Hyunjin and Minho cackled together. Jeno stomps forward, "it seems like your mouths are rotten. How can you be so rude?!"

"'Rotten'?" Hyunjin ogles him from head to toe with distaste. "Shall I teach you a lesson?!"

"For the love of God, you're the ones who fucking need a goddamn lesson! Do you even know who we are, newbies?!" Jaemin yells, his ears turning red from extreme rage.

"It's actually nice to not know your names," Minho pinches his nose. "Not when you're disgusting as shit for shouting at us when you could've ignored our personal conversation."

"So you don't know us? Then we'll nicely introduce ourselves," smiles Jeno, though it's clear he's still pumped up from the verbal argument. "I'm the accountant, Kim Jeno, biological brother to Mr. Kim. He's the CIO, Jung Jaemin, same to Mr. Jung of Seoul Assemblages."

Hyunjin gasps, exaggerating, "we didn't need to know you're top, high in quality and living a fantasy royal life!"

"You think your positions and connections will scare us? Never."

Provoked, Jaemin grabs the mop from the corner of the room and uses it to attack Minho. Hyunjin does the same, snatching the mop near the end of the sink and whips Jaemin's face with it.

Minho and Jeno stay behind, too afraid to stop the fight for all they care about. Hyunjin and Jaemin won't back out anytime, not when they're constantly screaming offensive curses at each other and Hyunjin shoves the mop's wet cut-ends onto Jaemin's face. The fight turns into a brutal one as Jaemin hits Hyunjin with the mop disc whilst the latter gets back at him by beating his head twice using the handle. Jaemin impels Hyunjin and Minho to the nearest cubicle as if they are two birds brought down with one stone.

A perplexed Sicheng comes in just in time to stop the commotion. He pulls Jaemin and Jeno back by their collars from behind quickly after placing his clipboards on the dry sink.

"What was that about?" Sicheng questions with wide eyes. He turns to glance at Jaemin's tousled hair, Jeno bursting into tears and the interns forcefully pushed to a cubicle. "What happened?"

"It stings!"

Jaemin winces as Jeno reels back from his exaggerated outburst. That doesn't stop Sicheng from poking his bruise using a swab of cotton dipped in alcohol.

"I'm so sorry you got into a fight because of me. You shouldn't have taken it to heart. Why did you put up a fight?"

"I was so angry." Jaemin pouts. "They badmouthed you when they don't even know you well."

"You've been working so hard. We know that better than anyone else."

"Jeno's right. You're very hardworking and you sacrifice time to balance your personal life problems with work. You try a lot to get Jaehyun hyung's attention and have your burdens solved, yet people are convinced you're glued to him because you're whipped and you're trying to pry him off Doyoung."

"That's what most people think. It bothers me," Jeno adds. "This is putting a dent in your career for which you've worked so hard for only less than a month to build."

Sicheng lowers his head, abashed.

"Thanks for defending me."

"Don't mention it." Jaemin playfully pinches him on the left abdomen, earning a soft giggle from the shapeshifter. "Anyway, what about we tell Jaehyun hyung everything? Let's send them to a branch overseas and have them suffer till they can't take it anymore. We must get back at them."

"No." Sicheng deadpans. "Don't tell anything to Jaehyun. I don't want him to worry."

Jeno grins at him.

"You just love him so much, don't you?"

"What? A mop fight?"

"Yes. Mr. Liu told me about it," says Johnny, barely looking at his best friend in the eye. "A couple of new interns were badmouthing Mr. Moon, and your brother and future brother-in-law happened to hear them and defended him. They got into a big fight, apparently."

Jaehyun just wanted to chill in Johnny's air-conditioned office and take a break from all the continuous syntax of data being submitted by the secretarial department, and yet here is, talking to Johnny as if they're gossip girls in a teen movie.

"Mr. Moon was all out of it, trying to stop the fight."

"Well, did he get hurt?"

"His feelings must've been hurt," Johnny remarks. "From what I heard, they accused him of seducing you intentionally and try to break your relationship with Doyoung. They said harsh things about him."

"Does he deserve to hear such harsh words just because we're close and civil as CEO-secretary partners?"

"People like to speak ill of others, you know."

"But how dare they badmouth Sicheng?"

"Sicheng is your secretary at the moment. He is the CEO's secretary just because Doyoung is out of the country for a month. Everyone must envy him."

Jaehyun taps his chin. "How pathetic. They should get more work done at that time. We don't pay them to badmouth others."

He scrambles to his feet and stands up from the couch. Johnny does the same and attempts to block the vampire on his way out.

"Hey, why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Sicheng and make sure he's doing okay."

"Well, the thing is... He practically begged everyone to keep it from you because you'd be all bothered by it like this."

Jaehyun twitches his eyebrows. "Then how did I end up hearing about it? Because I hear everyone on every floor in this building gossiping about it?"

"Even if you were not a vampire, that's what happens with rumors. They spread everywhere, you always end up hearing rumors about you and they drive you crazy," Johnny does the twirling finger sign. "He asked everyone not to tell you, so just act like you know nothing. He must be the one most hurt and stressed out."

"I know. That's what really driving me crazy."

Everyone shot up from their seats and proceed to bow to Jaemin.

"Hey, what happened?"

Seonghwa mentions first, "everyone is talking about how you and Mr. Lee got into a fight with two interns while defending Mr. Moon."

"They were saying rude things about Mr. Moon when it's not true at all. We couldn't let it slide, so Jeno and I..." He begins to pout. "We ended up squabbling with them."

Jaemin has the look of devastation all over his face. The secretarial members definitely feel sorry for him. As he is handing reports to Hongjoong, Wooyoung held up his knuckles as encouragement and smiled at Jaemin.

"CIO Jung, you and Accountant Lee are so loyal."

"That's what I'm supposed to say," Mingi beams. "I'm impressed. We have great teamwork in this company!"

"Well, are you two alright?" Jongho questions.

"Yeah, we're okay. I mean I got a scrape on my arm and it stings, but it should heal anytime."

"Gosh, the interns are dreadful. I'm pretty sure they haven't heard about the laptop plagiarism drama."

San agrees with Jongho, "exactly! How could they badmouth Mr. Moon when we all know the entire secretarial department couldn't have closed the plagiarism case successfully without his contributions?"

Yunho jumps in, "I know right! It's like Mr. Moon was the one who took care of everything!"

"He was the one who assigned us with respective tasks to get the work done in a day," Yeosang sighs. "He can arrange a strategy within a five-minute meeting. Those malicious comments about him are unnecessary."

Unbeknownst to Jaemin himself, he smiles in satisfaction. It makes him feel relieved to know that the secretarial department has Sicheng's back.

"We're a Mr. Moon protection squad now, aren't we?"

Out for a walk in the middle of the chilly night, both of them are wearing parkas, their suits from the day tucked underneath. The city lights are twinkling across the Han river and thus displays the scenic kind of a landscape. Typical Seoul.

Jaehyun and Sicheng walk side by side as they shift their attention from a little child walking for the first time, a couple having a romantic, evening picnic, and a dad and daughter cycling together. Sicheng wishes he could go back to his old days and feel the touch of youth again. When he first lived, not that many recreational activities existed, not even bicycles. Sometimes it’s a burden to carry the weight of being an immortal.

Sicheng is dragged out from his stream of thoughts when Jaehyun spoke.

“So how was your vacation?”

“It’s nice. It lasted for three days, so I’m glad I took my time healing myself.”

“Are you using the robes well?”

Sicheng pauses. “… Yeah. I’m just startled because I didn’t think you’d still remember my address.”

“History gets buried easily. Addresses don’t, I guess.”

“What an inspirational quote.”

Silence embosoms them once more as they walk, still side by side though their hands are clasped tightly to the hot packs in their pockets. The shapeshifter doesn't have the slightest idea where Jaehyun is taking the both of them until they reach a port of the river lined with parked ferries. Only there is one cruise with no tourists, no people, no strangers.

“You hired a cruise?”

“For only the two of us, yes.”

“What,” Sicheng takes an exhalation in. “First of all, this is too much. Second–”

"Let's go," Jaehyun grabs his hand, much to Sicheng almost tumbling himself to the ground if not for Jaehyun’s strength. The latter accompanies him past the port as Sicheng turns to look at him with bamboozlement smirched all over his face.

"What are we here for?"

"Just a night. It's a healing time, trust me."

They hop onto the cruise as it begins to move. They didn't leave each other's side either when they ran up to the balcony and took a look at the night's breathtaking view. However, the first thing Sicheng sees from afar is the citizens present at the park as they pass through streetlights and trees adorned with Christmas lights. The abrupt thought of the people from their company crawls back to his mind. Sicheng swiftly buries his face in the hood of his parka.

Ticked, Jaehyun clicks his tongue.

“Don’t hide your face.”

“I have to. Otherwise, we’ll be spotted.”

“What does that have to do with hiding your face?”

“Stop pretending you’re clueless,” Sicheng hisses. “People think we’re dating and against Doyoung. I’ve had enough of the stink eyes ogling me in the office wherever I go.”

Silence embraces them along with the gush of the cold wind. Sicheng doesn't bother to say anything more knowing very well Jaehyun would stay silent.

He stares off at the waters. “You didn’t bring me here for nothing, did you?”

Jaehyun doesn’t respond nor glances at him. Sicheng takes that as a sign to continue.

“You knew something was up so you brought me here,” dread clamps his throat. “You knew about… The mop fight, right?”

“Certainly.”

Sicheng’s elbow slips off the fence. “I can resign if you want. I don’t want to get in the way of your relationship with Doyoung.”

“What are you saying? You’re not a hindrance.”

“The manipulated minds of the people in the company can’t be helped. I don’t want you to be involved in any scandals I’m responsible for and have your career affected. Just one legal document signed with my penmanship and I’ll step down.”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “You’re not responsible for anything. And didn’t I tell you? The better you perform, the more I hate to see you go.”

“But what if your boyfriend comes back?” Sicheng mildly raises his voice. “Don’t get so used to me being always by your side. Nothing lasts forever like our lives. Once Doyoung returns, I’ll quit and he’ll be your secretary again.”

“Sicheng–”

“Don’t try so hard and chase after me. Past is past, I’m nothing but your ex and your secretary in this modern generation. I don’t like being in scandals, but what I don’t like more is you and Doyoung being involved. Your brothers already got into a big fight and Jaemin was severely wounded–"

"Sicheng."

"–I mean not severely, but I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. Maybe we shouldn’t have gone to IKEA together and be affectionate outside business. Maybe we should’ve kept the introspective CEO-secretary combination and none of this would’ve happened.”

“Sicheng. Please,” Jaehyun pleads. “Let’s not talk about this.”

At last did Sicheng’s ranting episode come to an end. Jaehyun still doesn't look at him and has his gaze fixed past the borders of the rivers and to the mesmerizing silhouettes of the skyscrapers. They watch the vibrant lights from the buildings from the fenced balcony of the mini ship. Jaehyun is the first to speak, not sparing Sicheng a glance as his eyes are fixated on either the sky or the buildings from a distance.

"So why did you sign up for the company if you knew who the CEO is?"

"If I am to answer that, then this is where I'm about to unveil the truth to you," he falters. "Unless if you don't want us to escalate yet then we can save it for another time."

"No," Jaehyun urges, clasping Sicheng's freezing hand. "Let this be the moment."

The way Jaehyun said it was magical, to Sicheng at least. Not to mention the stars are clearly visible in the night sky and they shine even brighter on their reflection cast by the river beneath them. As much as the atmosphere seemed breathtaking, Sicheng musters all the courage to confess everything and pour his heart for Jaehyun to know.

"W-Will you be mad?"

"Whatever it is, please. Tell me everything."

"Okay," he utters. "It first started when uh, I got run over by a truck after I... I stole a huge amount of money from you, from your company– Oh god, I can't believe I'm telling you this, punch me in the gut please–"

"You did what?"

"You heard me."

"No wonder our sales dropped to rock bottom. What did you do with the money then?"

"I didn't use it, I gave it to my friends under a gang and they gave it to the poor and homeless. I'm really sorry, throw me to the waters now or drop kick me in the face, I'll really appreciate it if you do–"

"No, that's actually a nice deed. Don't worry, Doyoung restored the money back with his witchcraft and curses."

Sicheng frowns, "Doyoung again?"

"This isn't about him. Continue."

"Well then, as I said I did get run over by a damn truck. It's tragic, I was confined in a hospital, went on a short comatose then I woke up–" Sicheng takes a deep breath. "I woke up with no memory of my true form whatsoever. I woke up with a minor amnesia because I took a blow to the head that caused me a brain damage according to the doctors.

"My friends and I tried to find ways to solve my problem. It wasn't easy since none of them had the slightest clue of how I looked like. The only best idea they gave me is to look for it myself through you. And that's where it all began, the times I started first as an intern before gaining Doyoung's trust– well, I'm pretty sure he can read my mind– and now I stand here as your temporary secretary whilst Doyoung manages legal contracts in Europe to keep the company's image. I figured you grew suspicious of me so I tried to make it obvious and n-now you uh, you found out.

"I know I'm a disgusting sappy shit, but I'm not trying to get close to you. I'm not trying to get you back or steal you away from Doyoung. I just want to ask for one thing. Not knowing how I naturally look is like a lifetime burden weighed on my shoulders. So if you don't mind, please, can I know at least how I look like? I've been going on this stupid mission for days and days and yet I still have no idea how my face truly looks like. I paid attention to every single thing you left and said relating to Dong Sicheng, to me, to your ex. From your interviews involving questions about your love life, to your journals and logbooks, and to the way you mentioned and talked about me. I took notes of everything, but I still don't know who I am. You're my only hope, Jung Jaehyun. I know we aren't supposed to be in good terms at the moment, but you're the only person I once trusted my life with. You're the only one who knows my true identity. You're the only one who can help me get away from this foolish situation. You're the only man who knows every detail about me."

Jaehyun drops his jaw, his mind blown all over.

"I'll give you some time to think. If you want me to suffer for an eternity without me knowing my true appearance, then fine by me. But I want you to think about this carefully then talk to me some other day. Decide if you want me to never know my real form or if you want to give me a chance. I respect whatever your decision will be."

The cruise stops by the riverside, a sign for them to step out as the ride is over. Sicheng takes one last long gaze of Jaehyun's petrified face before leaving him alone by the fence.

The next day isn't too much of a sweat unless you enter the CIO's office and see a stressed Jeno clutching his head. He turns to look at Jaemin dramatically screeching under his desk.

Sicheng only came to deliver paperworks. Groaning, he's ready to watch chaos about to unfold. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I think I might be high."

Jeno taps his foot. "He's tripping. He is high."

"On what?"

"On caffeine."

Sicheng recoils in repugnance. "What could've happened now?"

"I-It wasn't intentional! I just wanted to drink seven shots of my favorite coffee! A-And–"

"He accidentally sent high quality chocolates to the wrong number," Jeno finishes for him. "It was supposed to be for the birthday of the DM Corporation's president. Unfortunately, his secretary team said they didn't receive it, so we checked... And turns out Jaemin sent it to a different number."

"Oh dear," Sicheng deadpans.

Jeno averts his attention back to the vampire stashed under his own executive desk. "Wait until the CEO hears his best Corporates partner has been let down. What would you do if he finds out?"

"I don't know, I don't fucking know! Jaehyun hyung would never fire me, would he?!"

"He'll be utterly devastated to find out you made a mistake just by typing a single wrong digit!"

"I'd blame the coffee!"

"Then blame yourself for drinking the coffee!"

The duo quarreled for longer, seconds away from ripping each other's throats. Looks like Sicheng has no more cue to interrupt their verbal argument when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He unearths it and switches it on to see a message from Jaehyun.

_'Can you dispatch the letters addressed to JYP Associations? Deadline is at 12.'_

Sicheng wends his way out of the CIO's office and takes the elevator to go back to his and Jaehyun's floor without letting his presence known. As much as he hates to return to work, no one would want to listen to Jaemin and Jeno's pointless bickering for the entire day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do note that some of the scenes were heavily based off on the Korean Drama 'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim' (especially the mop fight lmao).
> 
> [here's how Sicheng's bracelet looks like](https://www.nomination.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/small_image/364x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/8/0/8033497476937_01.jpg), just imagine the phrase as 'mon amor'  
> 
> 
> \+ Time to ask which are your favorite scenes/chapters so far :D Do comment or send me in cc as your messages always make my day!! <33
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	8. But we run our course, We pretend that we're okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chocolate drama, divulgence, public communiqué, and a plight of one's troth.

“Hey, are you serious about this?”

Renjun turns to look at his elderly cousin. “I am! Just bring me to their office. I want to talk to whoever sent me those grand chocolates.”

Sicheng dismissed Jeno and Jaemin’s quarrel as a silly argument between friends. He never bothered to think about it again. It was never part of his business to begin with. Though earlier this morning, he got a call from Chenle saying Renjun needed his help to track the number that anonymously sent him chocolates. To say Sicheng wasn’t surprised to discover that Renjun was Jaemin’s victim would be a lie when they are mutual through Sicheng. And now here Renjun is, side by side with the shapeshifter in the elevator as they move upwards to the CIO’s office.

By the time they got off, Sicheng’s feeling was light. Whatever is going to happen, Renjun will be the one to deal with it. Sicheng doesn’t really care as long as it’s none of his business. When he opens the door to Jaemin’s office, Renjun follows from behind, still holding the bottle of 'energy drink' he ought to offer the CIO as an exchange to his grand chocolates.

“Good morning,” salutes Jeno, bowing at the same time as Jaemin.

“You have a visitor,” says Sicheng. Renjun lowers his head in greeting.

“Oh? Never had one since forever.”

“Because you’re very unwelcoming,” Jeno grits his teeth, fighting the urge to slap Jaemin with the clipboard on his hand in front of their guest. He averts his attention back to Renjun. “You’re very much welcome to our office anytime. I’m Jeno, an accountant. This guy here is Jaemin, a shitty CIO.”

“For your information, I was never a shitty–”

“I’ll be going. I still have a conference to host.”

“Good luck!” Jaemin chimes. Sicheng gives them a smile of reassurance before walking out of the office. Renjun was lost at first when his cousin left him, but seeing the look on the CIO’s office made him gain confidence.

The fairy marches his way towards Jaemin’s executive desk, squinting when he gets a close, good look of Jaemin for ten seconds. “Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?”

Jaemin tilts his head in confusion. “Sorry? Maybe you’re talking about the wrong person.”

“Oh my god,” Renjun drops his jaw. “You’re that potential thief in the convenience store!”

Shell-shocked, Jaemin absentmindedly slides his elbow off the surface on his desk. Jeno immediately realizes the context.

“Jeez, why do you have to meet unlikely people at unlikely times?!” Jeno yells before switching back to his smiley mode to Renjun. “My apologies. He’s not functioning well today as he always is.”

“Whatever you saw, please forget everything.” Jaemin flashes Renjun his signature smile nonetheless. “I just wanted to drink coffee but I forgot to bring my wallet, and this jerk here didn’t want to apparate some money for me to use so I–”

“So why did you want to meet the CIO?”

To say Renjun finds Jeno’s deep voice attractive is the truth. He smiles back at them. “I heard from Sicheng ge you’re the one who sent me the chocolates, so I came here to express my gratitude.”

Jeno almost gags on air.

“Sheez!” He wails to himself. “I’m sorry, visitor, but he sent it to the wrong number so please pretend nothing happened. We do hope you enjoy your chocolates.”

“I did,” Renjun says. He places the drink he has been holding all the time on Jaemin’s desk. The liquid is red as shown through the transparent plastic. Jaemin doesn’t show an expression of ecstasy and twists the bottle cap right away. Silence embraces them as if they’re its children then Jaemin sniffs the drink first, scrunching his nose after.

Renjun and Jeno both raise their eyebrows at the same time when Jaemin closes the bottle and flips it back to his table, the same way teens do to act cool as he crosses his arms.

“Woah, I found another person who wanted to kill me other than Jeno.” Jaemin mischievously grins at Renjun, his voice sarcastic yet saccharine. “You could’ve bought me a good sports juice yet you didn’t.”

Jeno is starting to get concerned. “Hey, you’re making our guest uncomfortable.”

Jaemin’s gaze remains fixated on Renjun’s face. His daze is too sharp Jeno could slice through it if he had the courage to ruin the momentum.

“You didn’t need to dig a grave, damage a corpse and have me drink a dead man’s blood.”

The sun's rays glisten against the transparent glass. The smell of coffee beans being baked from the kitchen spreads across the café. A few customers silently mind their own business as the soft muffles of little chatters ring pleasantly in their ears either pierced or have earplugs inserted in. On the corner of the place where the succulents are the nearest were Sicheng and two boys he least wanted to be with at the moment. Fortunately this time, the two boys aren't Jeno and Jaemin. They've been ditched in the latter's office with Renjun.

"It's a nice day for the three of us to be gathered here."

"With news on our hands," Sicheng remarks. "Are we some press or something? We're going to sound like old men debating about whose grandchildren are the shittiest."

Jisung snorts. "We're a crew."

"Classic crew."

"A chaotic one. I put the 'ass' in classic and 'ew' in crew," Sicheng crosses his arms and leans back to his chair. "Let's get started. What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Updates," Jisung says. "Our squad is a mess. We didn't see Renjun hyung go to class today."

"Then why are the two of you not in class too?"

"We skipped, duh."

"Then Renjun skipped too, dumbos."

"Originally I was the only one supposed to see you, but I didn't want to leave Jisung alone in Trigonometry class."

"You dragged me here!" Jisung wails. "Where'd Renjun hyung go? I heard he was spotted in front of Seoul Assemblage's company building."

"It's a business you wouldn't want to know and you don't need to know. The only thing I can predict at the moment is Renjun having new affairs."

"What? He's interacting with someone who isn't us?"

"Just some people in the company. Even if I act as one of Renjun's legal guardians, I don't want to be intrusive."

"Man, I would kill to know who he's talking to."

"Don't bother. Let Renjun keep his secrets and tell us someday," Sicheng puffs a groan. "But I feel like his future has a lot in store for him."

Jisung nudges Chenle on the arm, "Lele, you have a magic 8 ball right?"

"I gave it to my nephew."

"What about the crystal ball?"

"That belongs to Yuta hyung. We can't lay our hands on it without his consent."

"Always a meticulous witch, isn't he?" Sicheng retorts. "Patience is a virtue. Let's just wait."

"Fine. Time for my Markhyuck analysis."

"Mark–" Sicheng spits his coffee back to its container. "What?"

"You heard him." Jisung points to Chenle with his thumb. "Apparently, their ship name is Markhyuck."

"I have no comments."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm here to narrate every single news about them which we thought we should share with you."

"Oh," Sicheng can still recall when Renjun told him about his dream. If Renjun saw his friends making out in a janitor's closet, Sicheng had to see the moment he least wanted to see not once but twice. Horrible.

"I compiled the statements of witnesses in our school. I can't use my pixies at the moment since we're in public, but I'll try my best to tell you everything," says Chenle. "Reports say Mark and Donghyuck don't leave the dorms until lunch break. That means they skip all their morning classes."

"They automatically flunked their Advanced Literature summative tests when they could've aced them." Jisung adds.

"And some reports say they feed each other like a married couple in the cafeteria. Sharing eating utensils, toothbrushes, bed sheets, clothes, and hoodies..." Chenle scrunches his face from the cringe. "They do a bunch of nasty domestic stuffs."

Sicheng gives the young fairy a glare. "Videos or it didn't happen."

"Unfortunately witnesses only gave us verbal statements. Renjun once saw them having an intimate conversation at the back of the gym during P.E. class."

"I'm still curious about what they did," Jisung whines. "Did they only talk? Did they kiss? Did they fight as usual?"

"The way the two of you are discussing it, I don't find the urge to believe in your news."

"They're definitely dating!" Chenle exclaims. "Wait till one day Renjun walks into them making a mess in the restroom."

Sicheng wasn't sure what he meant about a mess, either the werewolves thrashing toilet papers around and plucking holes on plumber pipes or doing the actual mess they'd call a disgusting shit in bed. Whatever it is, he can't find the flash of remorse seeping its way to his feelings to feel sorry for Renjun.

"I'll just wait till I see some valid proofs," Sicheng jiggles his cup of coffee back before taking the rest of the content in, feeling the flavor of the caffeinated drink run through his tongue. Sicheng can stop drinking coffee for the rest of his never-ending life just to see Mark and Donghyuck actually dating.

In the meantime, Jisung stares off outside the glass pane window to see something he least expected to see. He taps Chenle on the shoulder to catch his attention. The latter follows his line of sight, gasping.

"'Sung, your photography magic."

"Roger."

Confused, Sicheng turns around to see the people on the sidewalks. Among them, he catches two familiar people holding hands as they exited a store.

Sicheng's jaw sinks to the floor.

"Definitely dating."

Confusion.

It what's Sicheng feels, standing in front of the CEO, his heart thrumming against his chest. All assigned works have been cleared for the day, so why out of all times Jaehyun had to call Sicheng to his office when he was about to go home?

"Sir? Do you still need anything?"

"Doyoung will be back tomorrow–"

Jaehyun catches the way Sicheng twitches his lips upward in annoyance.

"I'm serious."

"So? I'll prepare things beforehand then."

It's obvious from Sicheng's actions he's annoyed, his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. Jaehyun fails to keep his composure and busts a lung.

"You look cheesed off."

"Thanks. My friend once told me the same thing."

Their eyes met.

"I've made my decision."

"What?"

"I've decided."

If Sicheng could push Jaehyun out of his window all the way from a forty-second story, he would.

"Can't you elaborate? I can't read minds."

"The thing you told me back in the cruise. I've made up my mind."

The shapeshifter's heart leaps.

"Why would you think I'll never let you know your real form?" Jaehyun asks, standing up from his seat to be on eye-to-eye level with Sicheng. "You could've told me from the beginning. I would've helped you if you did."

"You seem very unapproachable."

"Am I still unapproachable?"

"No."

"See? We have gotten closer."

"So? You're giving me a chance to discover my true form?"

"Indeed. Want me to tell you the details?"

"Go on."

Jaehyun clears his throat. "You've heard of the obvious. You have brunette hair, brown eyes and thin lips–"

"I can only envision a clown in my head," Sicheng soughs. "I can't imagine it. Don't you have photographs?"

Jaehyun lets out a laugh. Sicheng raises a brow.

"Why are you being annoying?"

"It's nice to annoy you," Jaehyun pulls a drawer open on the left side of his executive desk. He scatters the customized polaroids and printed pictures on his desk. Sicheng catches a glimpse of a black journal buried under the photographs. He scuttles to the desk to get a better view.

Sicheng watches as Jaehyun flips to a page in his journal, the same black one he has a replica of. Except this one has no pages of scribbles of rainbow-colored pens or sloppy sketches of cartoon characters. Just neat, formal penmanship and classic, cursive handwritings of jotted notes.

Jaehyun flips another page until they discern a familiar sketch of a man wearing hanbok. It's still the same without the childish scrawls Mark and Donghyuck wrote. Pantones of monochrome colors adorned the seemingly charcoal sketch. Nothing changed in the features Sicheng once observed. The skin as smooth as porcelain, blemishless, no moles, wrinkles or scars, a few freckles drawn across the bridge of his nose; short, wavy fringes rested on his forehead like bangs, lips plump and irises glowing. It's all the same.

And he remembers what Ten once said. Only the pointy ear poking out of the hair was the proof.

"It's you."

The way it rolled of Jaehyun's tongue was gentle and soft-spoken. Sicheng couldn't tell if he's fooling around or telling the truth, but his stoic face looks genuine. He averts his attention from the sketch and fumbles with the photographs. They're photos of Jaehyun and Sicheng from the past, traveling the world together as if there was no tomorrow. Landmarks served as their stunning backgrounds, the Butchart Gardens, the Romantic Road in Germany, the Bayfront park, and even the Piazza Navona in Italy.

"The views are pretty, but I think you're prettier."

"We both are." Sicheng admits, holding back the tears when the reminiscences of their times flash in his mind.

He recalls the time when he almost slipped in Chapel bridge and Jaehyun was there to hold him tight, rescue him and grasp his cold hands. Sicheng is certain they traveled the world more than anyone else did, maybe even beat Ten into it. He ogles his self captured in the pictures by every detail, from the shape of his face to the estimated length of his shoulders then down to his waist, his exposed legs and bare feet on some photos on the beach.

"Back then, you were only 178 centimeters by height. It'll be more accurate if you let yourself grow taller than before but definitely not taller than me."

The shapeshifter hides his smirk from Jaehyun, snickering into silence. He turns his back to Jaehyun and lets steam come out of his skin as it turned tanner. His jittery fingers transformed into bonier ones. His hair faded from the vibrant color of red to a lighter shade, some strands of brown until it fully turns into brunette. Just the perfect one he once had.

His limbs were turning more robust, his chest muscular and his head gradually forming the face shape and features that originally belonged to him by heart. His lips grew thinner and plumper. Everything about him changed.

Alas, there stood a shapeshifter manifesting to his final form.

"You're back."

Sicheng whips his head around and meets Jaehyun in the eyes like some cliché drama scene where you'd insert classical music as the background. Jaehyun gawks at the sight, ogling Sicheng from head to toe. In a hurry, he almost stubs the tip of his shoe on the foot of his desk, striding towards Sicheng.

The latter didn't move. Jaehyun watches as he bats an eyelash, scrutinizing the smooth, porcelain skin he has never seen for the past centuries. He caresses his chin with much tenderness and affection. His gaze shifts from his lips, to his flawlessly shaped button nose and eventually to his glistening orbs. He believes Sicheng carries the whole universe in them.

And oh. He is so, so fucking in love.

"You're really back."

A new day, another day with countless hours of work.

But for Sicheng, it's a day he has to make a move and step on a new whole level of his life. With an entirely different face and body, no one will recognize him in the office. He'll have to take it as a challenge he must overcome. Thinking about it alone gives him anxiety although the moment he steps in the lobby and is greeted by Taeyong, a surge of phlegm washes over him.

Making his way to the counter, the receptionist ogles him as he fondly smiles to give him reassurance.

"Are you a new worker here?"

"No," assures Sicheng, grinning to keep his composure. He holds up his business card that was renewed by Renjun's pixies ("Who knew you'd be this beautiful in your real form?" "Jaehyun." "Oh. Well. Okay."). His I.D. picture is replaced with a customized photo of his current face and his name modified with Korean characters spelling out 'Dong Sa Sung'. "You're not up to date if you're not aware of the fact that I'm one of the most prominent workers here."

"I've never seen you anywhere."

"Mr. Lee, if you see someone, do they have to be known by you to be proved to work here?"

"That's literally my job."

"Then there are a lot more things you don't know and you're missing out a big part of your job. Now if you would excuse me," Sicheng winks at him as he slides his card back beneath his knuckles. "Have a great day."

Fixing his tie like every man's habit it is, he heads to the scanners machine, shrugging the hunch on his shoulders that told him he's being watched by the receptionist. He swipes his card on the scanner which later dings for his valid card.

"Oh hello?"

Sicheng turns to his left. Yangyang is there, on the front of the queue for the machine next to his. He takes a second to stare at Sicheng's facial features before shifting his attention back to the monitor.

"Good day. I've never seen you anywhere. Are you a new employee?"

Sicheng presses his lips into a thin line. It felt outré when he is suddenly a stranger to everyone. It might take some time for him to adjust to his environment and clear people's mind and his own. He has to do what he has to do and what he can. He's never good with strangers let alone the people in the company he is acquaintances with, but perhaps he'll let himself be bold for once and settle everything for today. Otherwise he can never work at the company again with an ambiguous identity and go to jail, not when he is surrounded with mortals in the office building who know nothing about supernatural elements existing on this living planet.

He is dragged from his thoughts by a mirthful voice. He turns his head at the same time as the marketing manager did.

"Yangyang!"

Xiaojun comes running into the scene like an unprofessional athlete, panting for air as he hoists his arm on Yangyang's shoulder for support. Five seconds pass until he averts his attention to the full-blooded shapeshifter and recoils in bamboozlement when he doesn't recognize the face.

"Huh? Who might you be–"

He looks down on the monitor under Sicheng's touch. The Hangul name typed out on the top corner is enough for him to apprehend everything instantaneously.

"Oh."

"Well. I'll be going." Sicheng swipes his card off the scanner and slides it back to the pocket of his blazer.

"You can't just go to work without anyone knowing who you are."

"That's why I'm heading to the broadcasting system first."

A smile plastered on Xiaojun's face is probably the most pillorying expression Sicheng has ever seen. The halfer raises his fists in an encouraging manner as Yangyang closely listens to their conversation, still busy pressing options on the monitor to log his name in the attendance.

"You can do it."

"I know," Sicheng lets out a dramatic snuffle. "I'm sort of jagged right now. I need a peace of mind after everything happens."

"You look just as fine as you are. You just need to get yourself together."

"And if everything fails?"

"Don't worry. We got your back."

His confidence guaranteed, Sicheng takes his last bow. He trudges past his two workers as they watch him wend his way to the elevator. Yangyang leans to Xiaojun's ear, still baffled about the situation.

"You know him?"

"Yeah. You know him too."

Yangyang creases his forehead. "How in the world do I know him? I never saw him anywhere."

"You'll see."

Far away from the counter situated near the lobby entrance, Taeyong watches Sicheng hustle to the elevators with his suitcase in tow. Confusion is scrawled all over his face.

"... But how?"

Barging into the CIO's office on the tenth floor is something Sicheng concludes to be a reasonable habit he has. He does it nearly everyday, thrice a day and this time, the first he does it in broad daylight is now.

"Jaemin?"

The said boy almost fell off his seat when Sicheng entered his office. He regains his footing in an instant and stands in an elegant manner.

"Good day. May I ask who you are?"

He storms closer to Jaemin's desk as if he is a professor about to confiscate a student's phone and swiftly whips his card out for Jaemin to see. His face morphs into an expression of uncertainty.

"Man... So that was why you came home pretty late last night."

"Exactly."

"Tell me the details. Did you...?"

"None of the romantic shit happened. Either way, we don't have time for that. I would need you to stand by me on the podium because Jaehyun is not available at the moment."

"Wait, where is he?"

"He came to fetch Doyoung at the airport. Quick, I also need Jeno's help. Can you call him for me?"

Jaemin tiptoes to see the door open a few feet behind Sicheng.

"Guess I can call the devil without any effort."

"What's going on here?" Jeno saunters in, glancing at Sicheng's way not long after handing Jaemin his tablet of digital reports. "A visitor? Jaems, you didn't tell me you'll be packed today."

"I'm not a visitor," Sicheng resists the urge to grit his teeth. He slams his card right in front of Jeno's line of sight. "Have a look."

Jeno gasps, clapping, "woah, so you've figured it out! Congratulations."

"Thank you, but now is not the time to congratulate me. I need your help. You are the only ones I can rely on. I think it's possible for me to get enough courage from you as long as you're there with me. You're two of the few people in the company that understands my situation. That being said, I believe I can get through this better if you're with me."

"Do we stand a chance?" Jaemin crosses his arms. "We're in."

Sicheng snaps his fingers in satisfaction.

"To the broadcasting room."

The CIO is the first to open the door to the broadcasting room that resembles a news broadcasting studio. Jeno sets up the camera for the recording and fumbles with the wires on the floor as Sicheng scuttles to the podium on the stage. Jaemin follows closely from behind and perches himself down on the bottom part of the podium just beside where Sicheng's legs would be.

It doesn't take long for Jeno to lay the groundwork and open the camera fixed on a tripod. The room is barely illuminated and only the lights on the stage were turned on by Jaemin, but it was enough to give the spotlights emphasis to Sicheng as the speaker.

"The camera is connected to every broadcasting device on each of the company's floors. The microphone is also connected to the speakers in the cafeteria, the restroom, the lounge room; everywhere," Jaemin does a frantic gesture. "So mind you, everyone in this company will get to hear your words and see you on their screens as you reveal your identity."

"I understand." Sicheng bobs his head. "But what about the people outside Seoul Assemblage? You think they'll leave it as an unsolved mystery printed on newspapers and such?"

"No," Jaemin shakes his head. "We'll think about it some other time."

"Recording will begin on the count of 3!"

Sicheng looks straight at the camera. Jaemin hid in the inner part of the stand to prevent his shadow from being seen.

"2! 1! Start!"

The camera elicits a sound of shutter. From Jeno's point of view, Sicheng is the only one in frame, just decent-looking as he could be in his real appearance. At Jeno's signal, Sicheng opens his mouth to proceed with his speech.

"My sincerest apologies for interrupting you during work hours. I have an important announcement to make."

His voice rings throughout the building from different floors and everybody turns to switch their focus from their work to the mobile screens near them. Sicheng isn't able to see what is going outside and who is watching him, but he does have the feeling of eyes falling on every movement he does. Nonetheless of discomfiture, he speaks with a well-toned voice in a gentle manner.

"None of you has ever seen me nor heard of me. No one recognizes me to be a worker of this company and most especially the secretary to Mr. Jung."

A profusion of whispers starts to accumulate from almost every floor in the company. Sicheng doesn't know about that and thus is comfortable at the moment, pausing to swallow the lump on his throat.

"Things will be settled later. For today, I would like to pour my heart and be honest with everyone. I am Moon Taeil, the intern you know promoted to be the head of the secretarial department on behalf of Mr. Kim's absence. I'm not an identity theft and definitely not someone who did plastic surgery. My real name is Dong Sicheng and this is my true form."

"Time to explain," Jaemin whispers from the foot of the podium, his voice thankfully out of the microphone's range. "Jeno will cast the 'o' spell later."

"Many of you are mortals, but I've seen much more of your naivety. Supernatural creatures do exist to blend with humankind and I am one of them. I am a shapeshifter. I am Dong Sicheng. To the immortals who have heard that name before, you'll be surprised to know who I am once you reminiscence the past. I would like it if you keep this a secret among yourselves. As for you mortals, you're not supposed to remember anything."

In the meantime, the whole secretarial department is in a state of confusion. Their eyes are glued on their television mounted on the wall.

"What does he mean we're not supposed to remember anything?!"

"I don't understand." San hysterically shakes his head. "Is there something we're missing?"

"I think we're supposed to worry about how the heck is he the head of our department!"

"Is that really Mr. Moon?"

"Wait, supernatural creatures exist? Woah, that's so cool!"

"Mingi, now is not the time to give praises."

Back to the podium, Jaemin is still clasping Sicheng's hand from the bottom which fortunately is out of the screen. Thanks to the young vampire, Sicheng is boosted to wrap up his speech.

"That's all I have to say. I welcome you your CIO Jung." Sicheng steps out of the podium to give space to Jaemin. The latter scrambles to his feet and warms his throat. Jeno zooms in to include only Jaemin in the frame.

"Everything you heard is the truth and I'm standing here to confirm it. He is the Dong Sicheng we know from the past, buried within the heaps of the CEO's past. Jaehyun hyung would be proud of you if you keep everything a secret and never cause a controversial issue about this. Immortals, if the news stir around mortals who we never want to hear about this, your cover will be blown and our lives with mankind will perish."

From the lounge room, Xiaojun is closely listening to the live broadcast through the television while Yangyang barely manages to pull his jaw up. His hands are numbing and getting jittery, almost losing his grip on his printed expositions.

"How are they going to take care of the mortals?"

"They would need the accountant and Hendery's help."

"Accountant? Jeno? How?"

"Jeez 'Yang, you're too inquisitive. Wizards do wonders, you know."

"I would like to toss in extra reminders." declares Jaemin. "Mortals, you heard nothing. Immortals, claim you did hear someone's rectitude and show lenience. Mr. Moon– I mean Mr. Dong is the cherry on our cake. We wouldn't be complete without him. If any of you disrespects him because of his records in the past with Jaehyun hyung, it's on sight. I do not tolerate any action against Mr. Dong. I'm saying this because I believe the Seoul Assemblage's CEO and original secretary think of the same way. I'm nice and has a heart so I won't call out the names of the people who Jeno and I picked a fight with in the restroom a day ago. Just stick into mind you'll be fired in a blink of an eye if you do anything way out of line and we'll be fine." He turns to Jeno who is standing beside the camera and flashes him a smile. "Accountant Lee, if you would."

Jeno nods. Reading Jaemin's mind from a distance of ten feet apart is easy as pie. He waits for Jaemin to say his last.

"It's time to wrap this up. Thank you for sparing your time to listen to us and have a nice day."

Jeno immediately switches off the camera and sprints out of the room, almost tripping on the wires scattered all over the floor. By the time he was gone, Jaemin steps down from the podium and turns to look at Sicheng at the side. The latter has dramatically collapsed on the floor, clenching his chest with much relief.

"Well done."

Sichent heavily sighs. "Was it enough?"

"Yes it was. You did well."

"I told you. You and Jeno are the best option. The next time I open up to someone it'll feel like my postmortem."

"But you can't die?"

"Exactly." Sicheng scoffs. "What about Jeno? Obliviating the whole company is not so piece of cake, is it?"

"He'll probably ask for Hendery to aid him." Jaemin mimps, gesturing for Sicheng to stand up. "Let's go. We have to get back to work."

"When is Doyoung's arrival?"

"Noontime. We'll go together to greet him since the press will be there. Being mobbed might be another experience."

Jaemin turns off the lights before catching up to the shapeshifter on his way out the room. It's dark inside, so when Sicheng walks out of the door left opened ajar by Jeno, the natural light of the sun from the windows outside spreads on his face.

"You just felt eumoirous." Jaemin says. "I've never been there. That sounds wonderful."

Sicheng doesn't know what he means by eumoirous, but whatever it is, it must be something joyous. A wave of contentment and hope has drowned him in delight. The dysphoria that once clawed at the back of his head is no longer there. His heart is filled to the brim with aureate words he can't describe.

He did it.

All the way from the floor where the broadcasting room is, Sicheng passed by co-workers who gave him either the proud or chagrined looks after hearing his entire speech about his identity. He assumes all of them are immortals who knew him from the past, and the way some of them aren’t so accepting of his confession has him disgruntled. Jaemin did told him he shouldn’t be thinking about them and their useless opinions and yet the only thing he can think about to get them out of his mind is Jaehyun. It always has to be Jaehyun.

So when Sicheng strides in the secretarial department and heads to the corner where his personal desktop is, he flops down to the office chair in distress. The department members only bowed at his entrance greeting and went back to work as if nothing happened. Of course they wouldn’t know. Jeno took responsibility in wiping out their memories regarding his public announcement. Hendery probably helped a bit too. They must’ve only known about his status as a secretary, representing Doyoung and his position.

He spends two hours staring at the screen of his desktop. Or maybe three hours, and he has only written five sentences for an email addressed to the head of a production management company they’re in collaboration with. He’s certainly not in the mood to work and feel himself. Heck, his productivity is nowhere to aid him in typing a simple email for ten minutes, let alone complete the drafts for his reports before the day ends. Bored, he opens a word program and types something random. He’s spaced out.

At the same time, Hendery ambles in their office to submit documents to the secretarial department. They stand up from their seats to greet him as they always do. He and Hongjoong had a small talk that Sicheng didn’t really bother listening to.

“Do you happen to have the sales from the month of July? I need it for comparison report.”

“Yes, they’re next to the photocopy machine.”

“Thank you.”

Hendery shots him a smile before strolling to the photocopy machine. He cowps the stacked folders on top of each other, looking for a clipped report of the past sales. It doesn’t take him long to find it near the bottom of the pile. Satisfied, he places it on top of the photocopy machine to fix the jumbled heap he made himself. Afterwards, he looms over the machine and grabs the sales report he needed. He’s about to leave the office when he saw a paper print itself on the machine. Curious, he turns to look what was printed on it.

He holds back a fit of laughter when he sees the bold, large Hangul letters covering almost the whole page. They’re stylized in red and Arial font. Jung Jaehyun, it said. A heart was followed by his name.

“Hendery?” Sicheng calls out. “I printed the formalized database for the presidential conference in Busan. Can you hand me the papers?”

“Mr. Dong, I think you printed out the wrong file.”

“What?”

From afar, Sicheng leaned a bit to see the paper Hendery is holding. His eyes widen when he recognizes the ludicrous letters. Hendery scampers to his desk and hands him the paper. “You’ve worked hard. Keep it up, but don’t space out too much.”

Sicheng soughs, “thank you. Sorry about the file by the way, sheez, that was embarrassing.”

“Not at all, don’t worry.”

“As much as I want everything finished for today, I badly want to go home.”

“You’ll get through it. You already handled a hefty morning. I’m sure you’ll do better than that.”

“I swear to god you’re the best.”

Hendery winks. “I’ll be your personal encouragement bearer.”

Just as Hendery is about to leave, Yerim storms inside the office and elucidates, “Secretary Kim is on his way. He’s almost here, please get ready and go down to the lobby to greet him.”

At her utterance, everyone begins to move. Yerim immediately goes out probably to inform the other offices. Hongjoong leads the way for the secretarial members to go out of the office. Wooyoung almost pisses his pants and clings into San for support; judging from how they fret, none of them wanted Doyoung back.

In the middle of their ‘attempt at calming down’ session, Sicheng peers over the window to see the boulevard laid out in front of the company building. There were bodyguards already lined up and vans are queued on the road. The press were surrounding the pathway.

“Damn, people treat him like the duke of Edinburgh.”

“He’s in the fifth black van,” says Hendery, his x-ray vision activated even from forty-two floors above. He stretches out his hand and motions for Sicheng to clutch onto him. “Hurry. We need to apparate.”

Sicheng tears away his gaze from the window and immediately grasps onto Hendery before they vanish into thin air. A few papers from their desks were blown away in the process and only Jongho notices. He creases his forehead at the peculiarity.

“Wait, where did Mr. Dong and the production manager go?”

Mingi frowns. “Dunno?”

“Wow, they must be into some witchcraft.”

On the other hand, Sicheng and Hendery stumbled into the first floor’s restroom. Sicheng dusted himself, exaggerated until he and the production manager scampered out to the lobby. He has to keep calm no matter what. Doyoung’s aura is so intimidating he has to endure the quickened beat of his heart.

Sicheng greets the other workers of the company who were in line arranged in columns. Some nice immortals who recognized him as a famous figure in the past gave him positive comments and showed support about his speech from that morning. Thanks to them, his anxiety reduces a little. By the time he looks to his left to pat Hendery on the shoulder, the manager is no longer there. Wherever he is, Sicheng presumes he went to join Yangyang and Xiaojun. He doesn’t want to be lonely and thus attempts to find Jeno and Jaemin among the crowd of arranged rows surrounding the pathway specially for Doyoung, Jaehyun and their bodyguards.

He spots them on the first row within the next five seconds. He squeezes himself in the crowd, a chain of ‘excuse me’s and ‘I’m sorry’s rolling off the tip of his tongue to every person he accidentally bumps into. Jeno sees him first so he steps aside to make space for him, Jaemin doing the same before he could even discern the temp secretary almost tripping on his own heel.

Jaemin catches him just in time. “You good?”

“Yeah. Just a bit nervous.”

“Is Doyoung hyung really that intimidating?”

“Unlike you, Jeno, he is.”

The press may have been messy as their nature, but jumbling the carpet exclusively for Doyoung and the others is the one thing they would never do. So as they crossed the pathway from the other side with their mics and cameras in tow, they surrounded Sicheng. Jaemin held him close by the arm to not let him get lost or stumble at the lack of space.

"How do you feel about Secretary Kim returning?"

"I feel genuinely pleased that he has completed his initial intentions regarding the foreign franchises, but I'm also uncertain about what will happen to me. I feel neutral about this."

"Was the job that strenuous for you?"

"It was, but I grew fond of it later on. I had an abridgment of how much Mr. Kim must've struggled everyday."

More questions were shoved to his face even though he only responded to those he could hear and process. A bodyguard later gestures for them to step aside and clear the way for the high-class businessmen to walk through. A female journalist gives the shapeshifter a contented smile.

"Thank you so much. We appreciate you for your devotion!"

By the time the press was positioned on the side, Sicheng takes a deep breath as Jaemin comfortingly strokes him on the back. "You okay?"

"Were they too tight on you?"

"Would it hurt to say they were?" Sicheng grumbles. "I can barely breathe and I think my eyes are ruined. I wanna remove my contact lenses."

"Hold it in. He’s here,” Jaemin whispers. "Greetings ready."

"We don't have to say anything, do we?"

"No, just bow."

Despite the distance, Sicheng could still see the van on five feet away from the lobby's entrance. Doyoung steps out, his grand suit taking anyone's breath away as countless cameras shuttered at his presence. Jaehyun shows up next to Doyoung, around four bodyguards securing them from the press trying to mob them.

For a moment, Sicheng forgets to bow until Jeno pats him on the thigh. Before he could lower down his head as he's intended to, he met eyes with the secretary.

If he's not mistaken, he caught a glimpse of Doyoung's lips twitching upwards to smile at him.

When Doyoung insisted he and Sicheng engage in private conservation in an isolated place, Jaehyun was hesitant to be left alone at first. Only when Johnny had to drag him to a presidential committee meeting did Doyoung snatch Sicheng to his side and have themselves teleport outside a café.

Sicheng wasn't ready, so his face turns green and almost pukes from the undulating feeling of going through dimensions. Doyoung holds his hand close and leads him inside the café. It takes a matter of time for Sicheng to distinguish the place as the infamous White Block café in Paju.

They settle down next to the glass pane of massive windows after purchasing their orders.

"Had a good time being a secretary?"

"The job was hard, but the challenges shaped me to improve. You're still a better secretary than I am. No one can top you anyway."

A smile made its way to Doyoung's face.

"I'm flattered. Matters will be discussed soon where we could put you. For now, you have a temporary place in the secretarial department."

"You could kick me out if you want. However, I think I've grown attached to the company."

"I'm glad to hear that," Doyoung falters. "You look beautiful in your real form by the way. Jaehyun is blessed to have seen you before anyone could."

"Don't talk like that," his cheeks turn into a shade of pink. "You gave me the opportunity to become close to Jaehyun. Although I'm sorry that you were departed from him for almost a month, I can't express my gratitude enough. Honest to God I think you paved the way for me. None of the times I had with Jaehyun would've happened if you didn't sacrifice your time to get going in Europe. And most importantly, the foreign negotiations. I strongly believe the company would've collapsed if you didn't take care of them."

Sicheng felt one bit of guilt clamp his throat when he mentioned Jaehyun, but seeing the fond grin on Doyoung is wearing, the guilt faded away.

"I should be the one to thank you. You stayed by his side. You brought him delight which I could never do."

Sicheng looks at the mage straight in the eyes as if to see through his soul. The Doyoung the company has been referring to as a cold-headed, aloof and supercilious – Sicheng never saw that side of him. Doyoung is not the unapproachable and austere they think he is. And sometimes it has Sicheng wondering, why is he being so generous only to him?

"Tell me if you feel uncomfortable, but let's talk about the past."

Sicheng tensed.

"Jaehyun once told me honesty is the only that matters to solve one's problems. I think that'll apply for both of us."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, have you been reading my mind every time you see me?"

"Always."

Sicheng doesn't say anything. The words he wanted to say were trapped on the tip of his tongue.

"We first saw each other in the elevator. Remember? I knew it was you."

"So you knew everything from the start?"

"I pretended not to know. Originally I was supposed to take care of the foreign franchises next year, but to sit out of my position as the secretary and have you in my place, I decided it was better to handle the matters earlier than expected whilst I set you up with Jaehyun."

Sicheng feels his heart soften.

"You're so magnanimous." He says. "Then why did you–"

"The past? Well," Doyoung scratches his neck. "I was very immature back then. Apparently, I was having family problems and my mother usually brought home different men each week, so–"

"You couldn't bear it," Sicheng finishes for him. "You couldn't bear the weight of your own issues so you took advantage of Jaehyun's drunk state."

The wizard presses his lips into a thin line.

"Precisely."

Somehow, Sicheng doesn't feel the burning rage in his chest like he once did during the times he recalled their past. Staring back at the secretary in front of him rather breaks his heart as the remorse is eating him out. Doyoung looks miserable. He avoids Sicheng's gaze by fixating his line of sight down the table.

"It was unbearable. It pained me, but it pained me more to realize you were involved." Doyoung heaves a sigh. "If I could patch your heart right now, I would."

"Patching my heart won't do anything good. We were too late." Sicheng shrugs his shoulders. "Besides, our naivety sometimes lead you to the best peaks of your life, you know? If none of these happened, my life would've been boring."

Doyoung chortles, "what about turning back time?"

"I could only use that to bask myself in the good ol' times again."

A pause. Sicheng spares a second to sip on his coffee.

"Does Jaehyun still love you?"

Doyoung shakes his head in disapproval. "My doubts are high. Have you seen the way he looks at you? He thinks you're holding the entirety of his world."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it doesn't look like you're still going out together."

"You could put it that way," the way Doyoung stretches his lips has Sicheng blinded by his smile. "Just make him happy and stay by his side. He deserves you a lot."

"Does he really have a heart? I thought vampires don't have that pumping organ."

"It may not be in his chest, but it's in his soul. And you earned it."

"My hate for you and the CEO runs deeper than your ego."

Jaemin wags his hands packed with signed documents. He doesn't spare the accountant a glance as he wends his way to his executive desk. "Hey, it wasn't my fault. I did nothing wrong. And you're the one who has been pestering me about it ever since."

"But–"

"You once told me I might cheat on you because you thought I would do the same thing. Does that mean now Doyoung hyung did it too you might also do the same thing just because I thought so?"

"Listen, I was not thinking the right way that time–"

"Not thinking my ass. I don't know why are we fighting over something so small. We were initially not involved," Jaemin clicks his tongue in annoyance. "If both Jaehyun hyung and Doyoung hyung are cheaters, who are we to give a fuck? It's their own issue to deal with."

Jeno presses his lips, silenced. Jaemin takes that as a sign to proceed with chiding.

"How did you even know Doyoung hyung has–"

"I heard the rumors from the employees of my department. I contacted his lawyer and found out it's true. Now I'm extra infuriated than ever."

"Speaking of your department, why are you always in my office? The accounting department is yours for a reason."

"I don't know either. Maybe I just want to see you."

"To see me?"

A second of silence. Jaemin grins like a tease which leads to Jeno shutting him down with another berating.

"You know what's good about the hyungs' issue? We are never going to be in-laws."

"But I think I'll be Renjun's in-law," Jaemin groans. He immediately realizes what he just said.

The accountant gives him a knowing look.

"So Renjun is on your mind now?"

"... Hey, Jeno. You know what?"

"What?"

"As much as I want to tackle you with my special Jaeminie kisses, you're not wearing your ID."

"Your eyes must be so exhausted."

"I'm swamped. I have a mountain of other documents to work on."

Sicheng never looked at Doyoung once since he approached his desk situated on the corner of the secretarial department's office. With tired eyes, he scrutinizes the legal documents brought in just this morning. Doyoung figures the shapeshifter must be too tired to function, so maybe Sicheng just needs good news to enlighten him.

"Well, I came here to bring some good news."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Good news," Doyoung repeats. "Jaehyun's supposed to be the one to announce it to you, but I figured telling you about it matches me better."

Sicheng doesn't answer, but he has his eyes on Doyoung now.

"Many people have seen your industrious side and your capability to adapt to various roles without professional training. I've read the feedbacks sent to you. Most of them complimented you for pulling off the job as a secretary given the pressure and heavy mass of work. To say I'm proud is an understatement."

"I'm highly honored," Sicheng stands up to take a bow. "But what are you trying to imply?"

Doyoung fails to hold back a toothy grin. He walks towards Sicheng's desk with a reassuring glow in his orbs. The louder his pair of shoes makes a tap against the floor, the more both anxious and excited Sicheng becomes.

Doyoung held out his hand for Sicheng to take. He still has the proud smirk plastered on his face.

"Congratulations, Sicheng. You've been promoted as the new operations manager."

"How'd both of you arrive here in a second?"

"Doyoung's magic," Jaehyun answers, not sparing his parents a glance.

It is true he and Jaemin came to stay at their parent's grand house in the province over the night without the aid of a transportation service, just Doyoung and his wizard's teleportation magic.

"Figures," says Yunho. "Business going well?"

"Can never disappoint you, father."

"We have things to settle tonight," Jaejoong walks in and sits down beside Yunho. "It's time for you to marry, Jae. It has been centuries. You wasted centuries in drunken love."

"How did you know?"

"Doyoung contacted us about everything."

"So you know everything?"

"We do," Yunho remarks. "We must be decisive this time. If you don't wish to marry yet, I'm afraid we'll have to force you into an arranged marriage. You're going to dash the hopes of our ancestors if you continue wasting your time without handing down your generation and ending our family with you."

Jaehyun pauses. He needs time to think. He would never marry someone who he doesn't know.

"I heard what happened between you and Doyoung. You can't hide anything from us."

"If Doyoung has left you, it doesn't mean you can't love anymore, can you?"

Jaehyun shakes his head.

"So? Are you going to agree on the terms of allowing yourself to be married to someone you don't know to keep our lineage going?"

A childish wail rings from the kitchen. Jaemin barges in with his arms crossed.

"If hyung doesn't marry Mr. Moon then what's the point?"

Jaehyun bursts into laughter. He turns to Jaemin who has confusion smeared all over his face.

"Jaemin, who's Mr. Moon?"

Under the sunny skies and spread out cotton clouds slowly being blown by the wind, Sicheng and Jaehyun saunters down the slope tiled with primeval carvings and decorations. Sicheng didn't want to be here at first, until Jaemin assured him it would be a memorable experience if he comes with Jaehyun to a place of heritage preservation. And Jeno even winked at him before he left the office, drove off with Jaehyun and here they are, in Bukchon Hanok Village.

Now Sicheng's curiosity about what could've they been saying is growing as they stride to a store to rent their hanboks for the day. If ever they're getting the quintessential Hanbok experience together, he doesn't mind as long as nothing awkward happens.

"Let's get fitted," Jaehyun ushers. He checks out almost every hanbok hung from a rack before coming up with one dress that has a blue ribbon of silk tied around the waste and the floral fabric adorned in Periwinkle blue. It suits him.

Sicheng does the same on the rack adjacent to where Jaehyun was from, his eyes ogling a hanbok of charcoal black tucked between many other hanboks hung on the rack. It has orange straps blending behind its red ropes folded beneath the waistline. A strong feeling surges over him – he definitely has worn the same hanbok before.

"You're choosing that?" Jaehyun asks. "It suits you."

"Do you think I've worn this before?"

Jaehyun pauses for a few seconds to ponder. His attention shifts to the hanbok Sicheng is already holding by its hanger.

"I think so?" He says. "On a wedding ceremony, maybe."

"I just think it's the same one used as a reference to sketch me in your journal."

"If the artist hadn't intended only a sketch and actually colored the art, we would've known."

It takes a matter of time before they reach a line of open hanoks for them to explore the interiors sharpened in the past. As they walked by, Jaehyun initiates a conversation to remove the imaginary wall between them.

"You remember when you crafted me a peach because you said it reminded you of me?"

"I was bored. There was nothing I could do although the queen's daughter was ready to yell at me because I haven't cooked her lunch meal."

"You barely knew how to cook Korean meal."

"Exactly."

"And you're only good at cooking the house."

Sicheng snorts. "Let's just go."

They enter a hanok on the corner of the alley, eyeing the artisan displays situated on the shelves. Jaehyun pointed at the little toy of a chick design.

"It looks like you."

"It doesn't."

"Yes it does."

Sicheng lets out a mewl. Arguing with Jaehyun is the last thing he would want to do. The latter only chuckles at his reaction as they proceed to the other rooms with available entryways.

"You're good at crafting, you know?" Jaehyun says. "If only we didn't leave our belongings behind and move on to a new generation after the countless wars, you can still look back at your crafts."

"I don't need them anymore. The only thing I need at the moment is you."

Sicheng bites his tongue after realizing he made it awkward.

"Well," Jaehyun stifles a laugh. "Let's go to a workshop."

"What about the Traditional Crafts Experience Centre?"

"I bet the Hansangsu Embroidery Workshop is more fun."

Striding past the hanoks aligned by the horizon side by side with Jaehyun was a moment Sicheng wished to happen for an eternity. He wasn't sure why it healed him and why it made his heart full, but spending time with Jaehyun was something he always ought to treasure.

When they arrived at the embroidery workshop, the receptionist welcomes them with warm greeting and leads them to a mini table similar to a Japanese's Chabudai one ("It's the type of table Jeno could break." "What if he really broke one in the past?" "You think they buried it somewhere in the museums?" "Maybe, I don't know, ask Doyoung.").

The workers offered them the diverse sets of embroidery hoops for the fabric tauts, needles, threads and other handy tools. Sicheng starts right away, leaning closer to stay focus. His traditional hat is on the way of his sight and he is starting to get irritated. Jaehyun notices.

"Have you ever wondered how men in the past were doing their embroidery while wearing hats?" Jaehyun says, taking off Sicheng's hat and cards his fingers through his hair. "They take their hats off."

If there is something Sicheng could be thankful to the gods for, it's the way Jaehyun is no longer looking at him by the second blood rushed to his cheeks and made them glow a tint of pink. They went back to work not long after.

The shapeshifter snatches the threads of olive green and apricot. Sicheng doesn't take an ounce of curiosity by glancing at Jaehyun's side of the table. Whatever he patches, he'll see for later. Only thirty minutes has passed when Jaehyun's voice undulates.

"Are you done yet?"

"Just a minute," says Sicheng. "A few more stitches and I'll be done."

"Don't forget to close the stitch."

"Can you cut here?"

Jaehyun grabs a hold of the embroidery scissors and cuts the last of Sicheng's green thread. He places back the tool on the table and peers closer to see the latter's work.

"What's that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Seriously? A peach?"

"It reminds me of you so better appreciate my efforts than get tired of the same thing over and over again."

"I never said anything I'm tired of the same thing."

"You sounded like it." The shapeshifter presses his lips into a thin line, averting his attention to Jaehyun's hooped fabric. "Is that a rose?"

"Certainly."

"How minimalistic."

"It defines our relationship," Jaehyun says. "A bush of thorns and the color of red."

If Sicheng said he didn't feel his heart flutter, it would be one big lie. The butterflies in his stomach are starting to bubble. He knows what Jaehyun meant. Anyhow, the way he embroidered a representation of their relationship may have outshined all embroidery arts around the world. Either that or Sicheng is just biased.

"Let's tidy up."

Afterwards, they hustle back to the village, done with the workshop and thanked the workers for their available service. Sicheng has never been to a hanok village in his whole lifetime though he does believes such an experience in a preservation center will not be complete without eating. It's almost as if Jaehyun can read his mind once he opens his mouth to say something.

"Let's eat."

"Sure. Where do we go?"

"We can decide on our way."

In the end, they chose a small restaurant of noodles, settled down on a wooden table for two. They sat across from each other, waiting for their orders to be ready. Sicheng fumbles with the chopsticks out of boredom and as a substitute way to avoid Jaehyun's penetrating gaze.

"Aren't we too awkward today?"

"It feels like it."

"Let's be honest for once. Have you moved on from the past?"

Sicheng curled his lips upward into a pout. "I can't say yes, but I can't say no either. Why do you ask? Does it still bother you?"

"Not really. Do you think if you did not forget your true identity all this time, we'll never cross paths again?"

"Hmm, maybe, unless fate is drunk." He looks at Jaehyun straight in the eye. "I'm not sure if I would've ended up working for your company even if I was in my true form just because I need to earn for a living. Perhaps in an alternate universe, I would've joined Ten in his employment or be a kindergarten teacher in the countryside."

Jaehyun flashes him a smile that can blind.

"I'm glad you came."

"You really like how I returned?"

"I can make a sacrifice to the gods just to pull you back to mine and defy gravitational force."

"Damn, that's ridiculous."

"I'm ridiculous."

For all one knows, it's ridiculous how the vampire makes him feel giddy towards the smallest things he says and does. There is something between them and it is the most beautiful thing he has ever felt.

They chat for a longer time while slurping on their noodles which came a few minutes after their first conversation. They're simply good with talking thus the atmosphere this time is not so heavy as they expected from before. They made comments about the noodles' recipe, what they saw so far in the hanoks they explored that day, chattered about the company's smooth rolls and even the hanboks they're wearing.

"You really look like you jumped out of that sketch in my journal."

"They could've placed this hanbok in a museum because Dong Sicheng wore it."

"You ran away to China. How would they know?"

"Dimwits. Never located me anywhere."

Sicheng arrays his chopsticks on top of his now empty bowl. Jaehyun does the same after drinking the leftover soup as his side dish. "Let's go to Baek In-je."

"Whatever you say."

Baek In-je is a house turned into a museum and a cultural heritage site located in Bukchon Hanok Village's Gahoe-dong neighborhood. It doesn't take them long to arrive there by foot, appreciating the many modern architectural touches though the house was built in a traditional style. It'll be much more amazing if someone who lived from dynasties in the past can visit the modernly preserved village just like Sicheng and Jaehyun.

They stride to the back of the house that has a spacious garden. Standing on the plain grounds, they gaze at the skies past the nourished trees where hues of blue and orange were starting to scatter and adorn the clouds.

"It really feels nostalgic."

"It is."

"I don't know why we're kind of obsessed in thinking about our alternate fates. But what do you think would've happened if I never came to Korea as one of the missionaries in my clan to influence the country?"

"Then I would've never met you." Jaehyun admits. "Back in 1627... I think? You were a spy let in the royal grounds, weren't you?"

"Not just a spy. I was of honorary guest member for the foreign incumbency part of China."

"You did a great job back then."

"I know. No one ever suspected me but you."

"But we loved," he pauses. "And left."

"Because of Do–"

"Well," Jaehyun cuts him short. "I know it's too early for this, but my parents are the embodiment of impatience as they've been living for far too long."

"What do you mean?"

He feels his heart stop when Jaehyun does the obvious.

He bends down on one knee, fumbles with a pocket of his hanbok and brings out something Sicheng wishes it's not what he thinks it is. Jaehyun positions it just decently in front of the shapeshifter, the latter's line of view fixating on the thing on his delicate hands. When his lips twitched to form the magic words, Sicheng's heartbeat quickened faster than Usain Bolt's speed.

"Will you marry me?"

No response came out of his mouth, his throat clamped with dread. Jaehyun lets ten seconds pass like a gust of wind before giving in, scrambling back to his feet and slides the box back to the pocket of his hanbok. The younger man snaps out of his trance when Jaehyun begins to speak.

"You remember what you said to me in IKEA?"

"Which one?"

"I told you if we could just act like old friends to make it less awkward. Are we still friends?"

A hitched breath.

"Friends don't kiss friends."

"I guess we're not friends anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is approaching, stay warm people ♡
> 
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	9. Now if we jump together at least we can swim, Far away from the wreck we made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night of confessions, a meet-up with the Jungs, and a hoes reunion.

Time flew fast.

Sicheng and Jaehyun had to leave Bukchon Hanok village right away after getting an emergency call from Renjun, alerted when the fairy informed that apparently, Jeno and Jaemin are 'out of their minds'.

It's night. They arrived at the bar in their office suits (Sicheng almost forgot to strip his hanbok before leaving the village, too worried Renjun might get into a worst situation) and spotted the trio drained on a couch.

Sicheng orders Renjun to go home safely, knowing Renjun really never liked being accompanied on the way home unless it's his friends doing the job. As for Jaemin, Sicheng volunteered to bring him home. Unfortunately, Doyoung is stuck in a late night meeting way back in the company, so Sicheng had to allow Jaehyun to drive a drunk Jeno to Doyoung's house since they only had one chauffeur service available at the moment, that chauffeur service being told by Jaehyun to take Sicheng and Jaemin home immediately.

Dragging Jaemin to the car and dealing with his tipsiness was way worse than when Sicheng had to do the same to Jaehyun. For most of the car ride, Jaemin was sobbing and murmuring both Renjun and Jeno's names, his corporate shirt drenched in sweat. Getting out of the car wasn't easy either. Now halted in front of Jaehyun's porch, Sicheng opens the door and hauls the young vampire out of the car. Jaemin couldn't get himself to stand on the ground so Sicheng had to pull him by the collar despite his weight, and it's a big relief for him when he finally gets to toss Jaemin on the living room couch.

"Where's Injunnie~?"

"Injun?" Sicheng scoffs. "That's an unusual pronunciation."

"I miss Jeno. I miss Renjun. They can decapitate me if they want and– wow, I'll still be grateful!"

"Jaemin, you're drunk."

"Ah, I feel like– I'm gonna be sick, haha... Unless–"

The next thing that happened was utterly unpleasant. Sicheng could only heave a sigh in distress as Jaemin pukes on the carpet.

Sicheng has undressed Jaemin's top and placed it in the laundry. The CIO has fallen into slumber right after he threw up, so he's asleep and tucked into bed by the shapeshifter himself. Now, Sicheng is seated at the edge of Jaehyun's king sized bed as if he's a wife waiting for her spouse.

As if on cue, he hears the door swing and whips his head around. Jaehyun unstraps his Rolex watch and relaxes his joints back before taking off his suit coat. Sicheng scampers to help him undress his top, hanging his suit coat on the clothes stand at the corner of his room.

"You're home. Is Doyoung aware of their small get-together?"

"I contacted him about it. Don't worry."

"What about Jeno?"

"He has a housekeeper. He's not alone in their house."

"Oh thank god," Sicheng sighs in relief. "Goodness, they're lucky we were fast in action."

His collar loosened, Jaehyun flops himself to the bed. Sicheng joins him to his side. Together they stare blankly at the ceiling while the younger man initiates a talk.

"I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"The one thing you told me about when you first drove me for work. Do you still remember that?"

"Oh that. I told you the feelings didn’t fade one bit during the past centuries."

"Is it true?"

"It is."

Jaehyun didn't stutter nor pause. Blood rises up to Sicheng's cheeks as they glowed a tint of pink.

"You still remember how we first met?"

"Uh," Sicheng falters. "I don't really remember."

"Queen's liberal party for political factions. You spilled your Barley tea on my shirt and ruined the emperor's image in front of his guests."

If Sicheng is drinking on a tea, he would splutter it all over his shirt. "Ah, the tea. That was my worst chagrin."

"So much has happened. And we're just here lying on my bed together."

"I hate to admit it, but this was what I dreamt of when I was like only twenty years old."

"And it came true."

"It did," Sicheng soughs. "I still can't seem to process the fact that we were once exes."

"You mentioned it back then when you were introducing your real self in my office. For real though, remembering about it... I have to laugh."

The younger frowns, "what did I say?"

"'Dong Sicheng, centuries old, born to a family of shapeshifters with ancestry of fairy blood. As much as I don’t want to say this, I’m an ex to Jung Jaehyun and will forever stay as that.'"

An embosom of silence.

"Can you just hold my hand?"

Sicheng complies to his wish. When the vampire grasps his hand and intertwine their fingers, he feels the butterflies in his stomach. The next thing Jaehyun says just worsened the churning.

"I wished every day to hold you once more."

"And now you get to hold me everyday. How does that feel?"

"It feels like I've been sent to the Elysian Fields."

"Same with me. But with Valhalla."

"Let's just admit it, we're like in nirvana right now."

"Hm, whatever you say."

Looking back at it, his life so far has been amazing. It's like a written story with endless pages, and no matter how many things were erased from his days, significant ones or not, he had to turn one more page as the story must go on. The conflicts he had were beyond amazing. The many times he killed himself or was killed for crimes, the many times he was rebirthed and brought back to Earth as an immortal, the many times he fell in love with Jaehyun; it's as if the more he tried to jump off a cliff or dive into a pool of sharks, the more gravity defied him and he fell for the vampire. No matter how many times he got tired of his life, here he is, sworn to stay forever with his first love. His first love, once his ex who broke his heart.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I just thought of something nostalgic," Sicheng uncontrollably grins. "Sucks for you to be unable to read my mind."

Jaehyun giggles, his dimples forming. "Your heart is beating so fast. You must be so happy."

If this is a television drama, it's the scene where the cheesy, romantic music starts playing in the background. However, rather than a cheesy one, Sicheng would prefer something emotional, maybe classical music played by piano and violin. He thinks the amorous atmosphere just needs an emphasis, that's all. He rolls to the side to have Jaehyun spoon him for the night.

In philosophical terms, their love is polychromatic, showered with multicolored rainbows exceeding frequencies and wavelengths. They drubbed the obstacles tackled to block their way and make their lives miserable. Looking back at it makes Sicheng laugh. To him, the moments he contemplated his life and debated with himself if Jaehyun was being serious with the intimate yet subtle actions, they didn't make sense anymore. The times he spaced out thinking about the blear chances of discovering his true identity, whether or not Jaehyun still had feelings for him, and was baffled about his relationship with Doyoung; having arrived in the future as he has seen how things turned out, the series of scenes in his head makes him feel blissful. Now his heart is at a placid pace and Jaehyun has his legs entwined with his from the other side, their fingers still interlaced together.

"Let's sleep."

"One more thing before we go to sleep." Sicheng holds up his index finger. "Doyoung. I've always been wondering about him. Is he alright?"

"You're never going to let him go, are you?"

"Hey, I'm just asking."

"We broke up. He already cheated on me before we did."

"Really?" Sicheng squints. "I must've heard wrong. I can't be hearing that cursed 'C' word again."

"You heard correctly. It doesn't matter anymore. We already cleared our bad terms and decided to be exes and remain friends. I'm just happy to have you back in my arms."

"But Doyoung's not that sentimental, is he?"

"No. I'd rather think he's in a happier place at the moment. He already told me he has a new inamorato when we met in Paris."

"In– _what_?"

  
  
A scream is heard from the living room. Startled, Sicheng almost sneezes at the yellow batter on his bowl and rushes out of the kitchen to see what made the demon yell at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my god." Ten gapes. "Oh my god, Sicheng, oh my god."

"What is it?"

Ten hands the shapeshifter his phone. "It's Secretary Kim. The Kim Doyoung."

"What did he do?"

"Read the article."

Sicheng does as told. The headlines is enough to make him drop his jaw, flabbergasted. He scrolls further to more details and to the comments made by netizens.

"Are you sure this isn't from Koreaboo?"

"No. It's real like holy shit, look at the end. They got Doyoung's electronic signature. It's not fake." Ten vindicates. "He did that."

As much as Sicheng finds it irresolute, Ten wasn't lying and neither was the article written by a reliable journalism website. Doyoung has released his official statement regarding his relationship with Jaehyun.

"He mentioned you too," Ten points to a particular sentence of a paragraph. He recites, "'It's true that I've broken up with Jaehyun. He's dating the operations manager, Dong Sicheng.' And you would be blown away by this because what the fuck, 'Mr. Kim has confirmed that he had a new lover ever since he landed in France. Believe it or not, it's the CIO of Lullaby Entrepreneurs!'"

Aghast, Sicheng can't say anything. His throat suddenly goes dry and it's too raspy for him to speak. It's like he has opened the key to a new world even though he already knew everything beforehand. It's just the feeling of the truth being unveiled to the public, and not to mention by Doyoung himself. Sicheng doesn't know how to react, not flinching a muscle until Ten screeches next to his ear to get his attention.

"Don't you feel like something smells weird?"

"Weird? About this? I don't know. I'm not actually surprised about the new boyfriend part because his relationship with Jaehyun has been messy from the very beginning–"

"No," Ten interrupts him with a grim smile. He pats him on the shoulder as if to bid a sad farewell abandon his best friend for an overseas trip. "The odor in the kitchen seems... Bad."

And the cookies in the oven are burned. He's just five minutes late into getting the tray out of the oven, but one mistake in baking leads to a fully ruined recipe. Sicheng tries to relieve his stress by assuring himself that it's only the first batch and he'll have one more hour to bake two more batches. Ten saunters into the kitchen to see Sicheng work his baking session. He's starving, and when Sicheng catches him stealthily snatch a cookie on the first tray, he didn't need an excuse. Ten bites the snack.

"How's it?" Sicheng questions, whisking another batter before cupping them into bite size pieces one by one. "I can't screw this up."

Ten's face morphs into disrelish.

"It's too crusty for one's liking."

"How crusty is it?"

"I feel like I broke a tooth or two."

"Oh no, I'm doomed."

"Wow, not an ounce of worry for my teeth?" Ten grumpily huffs. "Just how many cookies are you going to bake?"

"Two packs, Ten, two packs." Sicheng replies as he waltzes to the oven to pull out the second batch and ready the third. "One for Jaehyun, then another for his parents."

"Dude, just how anxious are you?"

"Have you ever met Johnny's parents? It's just that trepidation when meeting your lover's parents, you know?"

Ten shrugs. He eats another cookie despite the crustiness. "I don't know. I've never met Johnny's. Hyuck said they're too busy managing a business in Isla Bermeja so they have no time for anything outside their work."

If Sicheng has a weak grip, he would've dropped the mixing bowl. He bumps his shoulder to the oven. Thankfully, he's wearing a thick cloth enough to not burn his skin.

"That island exists?"

Ten creases his forehead. "Every supernatural creature knows."

"Oh wow," Sicheng sighs, deliberately sprinkling small chunks of sweetened chocolate on the batter. "Just how oblivious can I be?"

"It's like you don't pay attention to the obvious." Ten rolls his eyes. "Did you know why Johnny's lips are shaped like Cupid's bow?"

"What the fuck Ten, no, I don't know."

"Then the level of your obliviousness is higher than Burj Khalifa. Of course it's because I kiss him every morning, every afternoon, and every night."

If Sicheng can puke on the golden cream on the mixing bowl, he would. Too bad vomiting while on baking hours doesn't sound like a good idea.

"Get out." He grouses. "The cookies won't taste good if you're here while I'm baking them."

"But this kitchen belongs to me."

Having Ten around is probably ruining his day, though that didn't stop him from shifting to sink to counter and to the oven while the demon helps him in folding the boxes and packing the cookies. Sicheng does the cleaning after as Ten trims ribbons and pastes stickers on the packages, all of that on a snowy morning in Ten's apartment.

The winter vibes have been there with them all along. The frozen doors and window sills covered in snow gave emphasis to the cold breeze entering the apartment studio. Ten couldn't do anything about it and set up his special heating power as a demon since Sicheng is the cold type of guy who's loving the season.

Sicheng does love the winter. It eases his nerves. However, by the time he has finished his job in the kitchen, cleaned up, has showered and dressed in thick clothes, he can't help but be in a blue flunk over the latter part of his day. Again.

"You're brooding too much."

"Thanks Ten, thanks. Very helpful, I must say." Sicheng scorns. "Do I look good?"

Ten adjusts the sleeves of his patched denim shirt before twiddling the tie on his Oxford jacket. "Definitely."

"Are my cookies alright?"

"They're sugary, but we don't know his parent's tastes. Whatever it is, they'll just appreciate you for the efforts you poured in them. Why'd you choose to bake anyway?"

"Baking doesn't spark me joy but it's for Jaehyun. And his parents." The shapeshifter shrugs. "Do I really have to go now?"

"Do you think keeping them waiting for your slow ass is a nice move?"

"No."

"Exactly." Ten opens the door out to his apartment and gestures for Sicheng to step outside. "Go. Now. I need a 'me time' today and probably go on a date with Johnny."

"You're engaged. Why would you still date?"

"And you're engaged too."

"Yet you're marrying first before Johnny and I."

"Doesn't matter who goes first. At least we're in this immortality shit for life with 'married' as our statuses."

Ten scoffs, "bestfriend things?"

"Bestfriend things."

"If you're willing to comply to my wishes then I wish for you to leave or you're gonna disappoint the Jungs."

"Welps sure," Sicheng fakes a cry. "Gotta go now."

"Hurry, so I can warm down and turn on the heater," Ten ushers. "Bye bye, leave now!"

As soon as he exits, Ten slams the door a bit too loud as if he didn't want the shapeshifter to be there at all. It's probably his mood swings. From the corridor of where Ten's apartment is, Sicheng could see a high brand car parked on the side of the street. The windows roll down and the dirty lilac hair pokes out, the person waving at Sicheng with a smile.

At the gesture, Sicheng makes haste down the stairs and to the first floor of the complex apartment. Out the lobby he saunters, hopping on the snowy puddles of small, broken ice and to the driveway where the car is. He opens the door before getting inside to the passenger's seat to sit next to the CIO. The car drives off in a second.

"Excited to meet our birth givers?"

"Kinda. A lil' bit nervous too."

Jaemin pats his thigh twice. "They're really nice. There is nothing to worry about."

"I'll try," he sighs. "How are things with Renjun? And Jeno?"

"Nothing's wrong. Sometimes I just pick fights with Renjun and that's it." Jaemin soughs. "He still has the most beautiful face I've ever seen. Whenever he looks at me, y'know, I just turn weak for him."

"You like him, don't you?"

"So much, even though he tried to test my circumspection since you know, vampires can’t drink expired blood or a dead man’s. And uh, Jeno does too."

"What did you talk about back when you drank together that night?"

"Trying to get to know each other." Jaemin stares off the window, looking at the sidewalks and stores of the city while moving in a car of rapid speed. "It didn't last long, sadly. Jeno and I are lightweight drinkers."

"You puked on a carpet. I feel sorry for the housekeeper who'll have that laundried."

"My intestines hate me."

"I can tell."

"Plus, at least we've considered we're all okay with a polyamorous relationship. All that's left is the confession."

"Take your time." Sicheng affirms. "Renjun's a loyal guy. No one in his school has ever become the apple of his eye."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Has never been in love affairs either. He'll have to know your normal nature first before deciding if he'll like you as a friend or a crush."

Jaemin bobs his head in respect. "Thank you so much. I definitely won't take him for granted."

"How far is your parent's house by the way?"

"Very far. It's twenty-two kilometers away since they're in Namyangju."

"Speaking of house, not to sound rude or anything, but will you moving out soon? Because you know..."

"You're going to live alone with Jaehyun hyung? Yes I'm aware, and uh, I'll move to Jeno's. I can live with him and Doyoung hyung."

"We're not actually kicking you out though."

"I know. I just don't like a night when I go to bed and sleep knowing there are two people destroying a bed upstairs." Jaemin says. "In conclusion, I don't want to third wheel all the time. I feel sorry for the house maids and chauffeur members of the household."

"At least don't feel bad about it. Will you?"

"Hm. I just want you to be happy. It has been a really long time and I'm glad you trounced the hardships together. You're two of the most patient people I've ever known."

"I've been told many times."

"About what?"

"That I'm patient and persistent," Sicheng bashfully hides his smile. "Not to mention the people in the company. Some of them may not be so hospitable, but I'll only recall those who were appreciative of me."

"As you should. Those who chose to spend most of their Christmas holidays in the office are doing great too. So if there's anything you should worry about, it's yourself." Jaemin remarks. "Are you still going to work tomorrow?"

"I can't miss a day anymore, can I? I've spent a day-off and three vacation days so far."

"Doesn't mean you can't excuse yourself and prioritize your health. You should rest for a whole week before your wedding day."

"I'll try."

The rest of the ride is noiseless and none of them talked. Sicheng falls asleep a while later while Jaemin just blanks out staring in the window. It takes them an hour or one and a half to pull up to an impressive residence's driveway. Jaemin wakes Sicheng up as the chauffeur goes outside to open the door for Sicheng. By the time he steps out of the car, Jaemin stays seated on where he is and waves his hand to the shapeshifter.

"Have fun Mr. Dong!"

"Wait, you're not going with us?"

"I just came to accompany you and make sure you're dropped off safe. I have a date with Jeno today, sorry!"

The chauffeur goes back to the driver's seat after closing the door. As far as Sicheng could see through the fogged window due to the snow, Jaemin is making frantic gestures telling the person to drive away quick and leave Sicheng.

And they really left him. Sicheng is left alone standing on the porch with the boxes of cookies on his hand, lost on where to go and when to knock. The one thing he's bothered about is the fact he has never been here and never met the elderly Jungs.

With all his might, Sicheng overcomes the quick tempo of his heartbeat which is getting faster and faster, not so good for his well-being. The stirring of wheels against the snow behind him makes it worse as it only reminds him of Jaemin ditching him for a date. He musters all the courage to knock twice, and another two knocks in as he swallows the lump on his throat. He's nervous.

The door of ancient carvings later swings open and the fresh smell of antique sets of furniture washes over Sicheng. An elder man in his mid 40's appears before him.

"You must be Sicheng."

"I am," he squeaks. "And you must be Mr. Jung."

"That's Jung Yunho for you."

"Ah, nice to meet you Mr. Jung–"

"Don't call me that," he says, motioning for Sicheng to get inside and dust himself from the snow. "I feel so old. Just call me Yunho."

Sicheng almost loses grip of his sneakers while trying to put them on the side of the door. "P-Pardon? I'm sorry, but I won't–"

"Or 'father' will do. Being in-laws doesn't matter. At least we'll be a family soon."

Sicheng's cheekbones tensed. "Noted."

After Yunho closes the door, he leads Sicheng to the inner part of the house until they reach the living room. Jaejoong and Jaehyun were already seated on different couches apart. The latter stands up to give the shapeshifter a warm embrace. He can confirm the fact that he's the same man he cuddled with last night. Sicheng reciprocates the affectionate hug before shaking hands with Jaejoong and Yunho.

Now seated beside his lover, Sicheng places the boxes on the coffee table situated in the middle of the sofas. "I baked some cookies for you."

"Oh how sweet of you, Sicheng dear!" Jaejoong fawns. He gratefully opens one of the boxes of baked sweets and takes out one cookie. On the other hand, Yunho grabs a book from under the table and hands it to Sicheng.

The shapeshifter scrutinizes the neat leather cover. Turning it open to a page, he briskly recognizes it to be a photobook, pictures of one-year old Jaehyun being the initial opening to be seen on the first page.

"It was Jaemin's idea. You can skim it as you would like."

"And I say you must flip until the end."

"Jaemin's?" Jaehyun lours. "Is he trying to humiliate me?"

If he has to tell the truth, Sicheng would say the photobook is a treasure worth all the riches and fortunes in the world, and he feels lucky to be one of the few people to be able to hold such a belonging owned by Jaehyun.

"We're very delighted to see you here, Sicheng."

"Same goes for you," Sicheng takes his nimble bow and glances back to the photobook. He stifles a laugh when he sees an archaic photograph of juvenile Jaehyun trying out his first raw meat and first blood drink.

For some points he did become talkative by responding to their interesting questions. At the same time whilst trying not to show a one wrong expression, he looks at the photobook and sees more of Jaehyun's captured past. A four-year old Jaehyun babysitting a fetus Jaemin, the Jung brothers on the first opening of Disneyland, a young Jaehyun riding a small sculpture of a horse he found in a park, and him being amazed at an icy crystal he caught with his small hands. How nostalgic.

"It's snowing a lot these days. I hope Jaehyun doesn't let you do all the shoveling."

At that, he receives a playful pinch on the calf from Jaehyun and a joking fit of laughter from his parents. They chatter for more as the topics never got boring. Sicheng gets to know them slowly, beginning to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. He also gets exclusive descriptions of how Jaehyun was excessively clumsy in his young days and how he was always the top student in his school, known for his face, personality and grades. Perfection, literally perfection and zero flaws.

"Jaehyun told me you used to sing in a band in the Bahamas and drag race up Main Street when you were younger. What was it like?"

Getting a narrative overview of their pasts is a good experience for Sicheng. The conversation later escalates to more fascinating talks. Sicheng comments on how they have a majestic mansion, then discusses about his days in the company, his opinions regarding trivial matters and more. He takes a look at the latter pages of Jaehyun's photobook, checking out the photographs taken on Jaehyun's teen years when he'd either go to frat parties ("Wait, that existed during the Joseon era? Or whatever historical era were we living in?" "It's just an informal term for the celebrations." "Oh well... Excuse my stupidity.") or diligently spend his weekends at home studying for national exams. Alas did he flip to the hindmost page where a simple template of their unfilled marriage contract is tucked in.

"And so let us ask you."

Jaejoong crosses his legs and rests his chin on his hand.

"Do you swear to marry and spend the rest of your lives together?"

"I still can't believe it. Was it a dream? Is that Moon guy really a shapeshifter?"

"Hey, tone it down. Someone might hear you."

"I envy that guy. But I bet he used his fame to manipulate everyone in the company. It looks like he really seduced Mr. Jung to get on top of everything and is ahead of us. My god, I hate people who act like that."

"Yongguk, I think you got it all wrong."

"Yeah? The world is full of lies, what can you say?"

"Uh, I think you're the one spitting lies right now." 

"Shut up," Yongguk crosses his arms. "Whatever that shapeshifter dude did, no one should trust him. I feel like he's a bad guy."

"Yongguk–"

Doyoung shoves the door open. Wearing a fond smile, one of a facade to be exact, he heads to Yongguk's desk while he and Donghan take their bow for his presence.

"Mr. Jin, can you take care of these new marketing directions and submit them to the purchasing department under your name?"

Yongguk takes the papers from Doyoung, bowing one more time. He proudly grins, "you can rely on me, Mr. Kim. I'll always do anything, even if it's my last duty."

"I like that mindset. Go now, you won't want to keep the purchasing department waiting."

"Alright. I'll be back!"

By the time Yongguk is gone out of his private office, Donghan doesn't fail to notice the loathing expression splodged all over the secretary's face. His presence alone is scary, so even in his smallest movement of unearthing his phone from his pocket, Donghan flinches and steps back away.

"It's really his last duty," Doyoung clicks his tongue, swiping numbers on his phone screen. "Hello? Please clear officer Jin Luonggo's desk and all furniture right this instant. Thank you."

Donghan widens his eyes. Doyoung neglects him and angrily storms out of the office. As much as he sounded cold and standoffish, he didn't want to deal with more problematic employees to totally ruin his day.

He makes it just in time for a conference centered on accounts department, meaning he'll be on the same meeting with two boys he's close with, one being his favorite and one being his sworn enemy. Not really sworn enemy, but Johnny's just that type of friend who'll annoy Doyoung for the rest of his life and tease him about the smallest mistakes he made.

Scurrying inside the meeting room, he takes his bows to the other attendants and snatches the seat beside Jeno.

The conference starts right away. With Johnny on the podium as the main spokesperson, Doyoung doesn't really want to listen. He fights the urge to fall asleep and participates in leading the meeting. After all, he has no plans in letting his ruined reputation resurface and get the simplest things hop on his bad side.

The meeting doesn't last longer than half an hour. Doyoung shakes hands with the other businessmen present, something he has been doing for years and years hinged on business. Thereupon, he moseys to his younger brother still upending written reports on his table.

"Working hard?"

"I'm always working," Jeno pouts. "As much as I hate math, I'm calculating things well."

"Excellent. Be a good boy, okay?" Doyoung rubs his head. "I'm surprised you're actually wearing your I.D. for the day."

"I'm wearing it often nowadays now that you're here with us. I might even wear it to sleep."

The older mage laughs, "you've grown up."

"I'm like three hundred years old."

"I didn't catch that." Doyoung bluff. "Still have fifteen drafts to complete before night falls, am I right?"

"You are always right," Jeno hisses. "Might as well go."

Doyoung jocosely waves his hand at the younger wizard. The way Jeno tramps towards the next hall has the secretary feeling something maudlin until he disappears to the elevator. Doyoung spends around a minute spacing out by the window while seated in front of a lounge table. The maudlin feeling disappears when someone calls his name.

"Doyoung?"

Doyoung whips his head around. "Oh hello, big foot."

"Welcome home," Johnny does the salute for soldiers. "I didn't get a chance to say it to you on the day of your arrival. Had a great time in Europe?"

"Of course I did. I liked the towns a lot. The hustles there hit differently than the ones here."

"That's nice to hear. By the way, just letting you know that we still have paradoxical employees working in our company who are jumping on you and Jaehyun for your controversial issues and for being a C word. They might not stop anytime soon with all the bashes that might possibly ruin Seoul Assemblage's image."

"Really? I couldn't care less."

"But you'll do something about it. Man, I hope you would."

"I'll see. I already have around five employees fired today."

"You're not going to get other people into thinking we're having a lay-off, are you?"

"No, of course not." Doyoung beams a toothy grin. "Don't fret over things like this, John. Have you ever seen me doing something not strategic?"

"Jeez, I'm so thankful to have you here with us," Johnny lets out a dramatic moan. "One more thing, you should introduce us to your new boyfriend soon."

"You don't know what happens behind _my_ curtains." Doyoung scoffs. "You need not worry about me. I'm doing fine on my own."

"Boy, just don't cause any more contentious activities, okay? Also, if you don't let us know who your secret boyfriend is as soon as possible, I might chaff you again for your ridiculous model poses."

"Don't you dare."

"I didn't hear anything," Johnny goads. "Wishing you all the luck with all your stacked works for today. Have a happy holiday break!"

Doyoung watches as the CFO disappears to the staircases. He's alone for now and while he is, he scampers to the elevator before the lift brings him upwards to the 42nd floor. If he can see and hear all the way from where he is, he'll know the secretarial department wasn't really working.

By the time he enters the office, his gelid aura looms over the whole department and the eight members were one beat late in focusing back to their work. Mingi shoves his parcel of baked gingerbreads under his desk, San almost twists his ankle perching back to his seat as his chit-chat with Wooyoung is interrupted, while Yunho swallows one whole marshmallow down his throat and pretends to scribble notes on his notepad at full tilt. Hongjoong stays normal above everything, though deep inside he's mortified of his teammates' antics.

As much as Doyoung wants to berate them about the 'no snacks and drinks during working hours', he's buried under tons of bricks. He goes straight to his executive desk situated by the center-corner of the room next to the glass pane windows to let the sunlight in.

Just like the usual days laid out for him, he takes his job seriously and arranges reports, presidential meetings and digital emails listed on his desktop. The secretarial members are tasked to do the same although some of them are acting like students of rash violation in the middle of a semester exam. Doyoung doesn't need to glance at them to see what precisely are they doing.

"Mr. Park, no looking anywhere."

Seonghwa lowers his head, hiding behind his desk cubicle.

"Mr. Choi, this is an office, not a gym."

Jongho accidentally lets go of his tiny barbell and it rolls to Yeosang's foot. The latter suppresses a moan of affliction.

Ahead of Doyoung calling out Mingi for sneakily taking bites of his gingerbread beneath his desk, someone bimbles in the office with a bashful grin.

"Yes, Mr. Operations Manager?"

"Everyone," Sicheng timidly holds up what seems like envelopes. "I have something to give."

Hongjoong's ears perk up, "is it regarding the art exhibition's opening next year?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

A smile is beginning to form on his face.

"Wedding invitations."

Ten draws the curtains to peek outside. "It's snowing," he scampers to the clothing rack by the living room to grab his coat hanging on it. Putting it on, he calls out, "Sicheng! Are you ready?"

"Coming!"

The shapeshifter scuttles out of his room, already dressed in a thick coat. Ten opens the door for them first. Sicheng has to resist the urge to slip down the apartment studio stairs and avoid the melted ice scattered almost everywhere. As Ten is locking the house, Sicheng is already on his way down the floors.

"You abandoned me," Ten playfully says by the time he caught up to Sicheng, pinching him on the calf in spite his thick clothing. They walk past the garage and alleyway in front of Ten's studio apartment. Icy crystals falling added the brightness of the season at an eight o' clock time of the night.

"It really is winter," says Sicheng, gazing upon the sky with his hood on. "Time really flew."

He looks over to Ten, who takes a pause to absorb the scene in front of him. The streetlights are glowing in the dark, and like any other sidewalks in an isolated street, there weren't many people present. Christmas lights decorated the nourished trees nearby. However, Ten was different. From Sicheng's point of view, he's outstanding in a flock of sheep.

"You look constipated."

"Constipated? Aw nah, I shouldn't be," Ten swats his hand. "I'm probably moody for no absolute reason. It's the life of a demon sometimes, you know."

Sicheng twitches his lips upwards in disgust, knowing the truth. "Yeah, sure whatever. Things going well with Johnny?"

"He's stricter than before. Wouldn't let me lay my hands on cigarettes or let me drink wine, but I understand."

"Hey," Sicheng seizes his wrist, leading him to a stop on the edge of the sidewalk. "May I be more annoying than Johnny or not, I'd love it if we don't walk all the way to the place. It's not good for your health."

"I understand you're concerned for me, but it hasn't been more than three weeks–"

"Let's go," Sicheng hails to catch the attention of a cab that is on its way to park on their spot. When it does, Sicheng informs the driver of their destination and goes inside the car first. He gestures for Ten to follow and sit beside him, only for the demon to cross his arms and mimp his lips.

"I'm telling you, this is not necessary–"

"I would rather dive into a sea of krakens than be told by Johnny to take care of you." Sicheng gives him a knowing look. "C'mon, we'll be late. And we're never late for a dinner with the hoes."

Ten eventually gives in. As they drove away, Sicheng doesn't want the ride to be basked in silence, so he brings up a topic to keep Ten talking.

"Missing Johnny?"

"Jesus Christ, 'Cheng. It seems like you're more whipped for Johnny than I am."

The other boy lets out a snort. "It's not like that. I'm just curious about what has been going on between the two of you, sheez."

"Well," Ten dazes out of the window, watching the snow do their job. "I miss those times. The time when we were in Cheonggyecheon Stream, that was really memorable. And when Hyuck got into a car accident, man, it's not like it was funny. Mark opened his third eye at that time and I think that's something I shouldn't forget."

"You do know that you can turn back time with a mage's power, right? Just not Jisung's."

A pause of silence. Sicheng is starting to get concerned.

"You're not sad, are you?"

"No. Why would I be sad?"

"It looks like you're crying."

Ten quickly wipes his cheek, only realizing he's shedding tears without him knowing. "They couldn't be sad tears."

"Happy tears?"

"Happy tears."

Sicheng knows how much Ten loves Johnny even though their love must've been more eloquent and vivacious than his and Jaehyun's. There were many times he thought their relationship is flawless in every way, but seeing the hint of melancholy in Ten's face said something beyond that. The times they had to live separately, rarely had a day to spend together, risking their time to earn for a living in this modern life – they must've struggled a lot and there is only one thought left about them that has been bothering him ever since.

"Um, Ten?"

"Yes?"

"You're going to live with Johnny soon, aren't you?"

"Was it too inevitable?" Ten asks. "Don't be down. Even if I'm going to live with him soon, it doesn't mean we have to stop being friends just because we no longer live together. And you can have my apartment if you want."

"Nah," Sicheng shakes his head. "I'm going to move into Jaehyun's. I sold my old apartment to raise funds for people in foreign countries experiencing poverty. Half of it will be donated to the gang so Jungwoo and Yukhei can give it away to the homeless."

"Doing charity works I see."

"The only job we're capable of doing."

"Don't say that. You work in one of the world's top leading companies." Ten grins. "You forgot something by the way."

"What?"

"We're going to live in different houses soon. I'll move to Johnny's on Saturday."

"Is that so? It'll be better if we come out together. Having someone left behind might be depressing."

"And in that case, what do you think will happen to my apartment?"

"Man," Sicheng sniffs the air. "It'll be empty."

"We can't just go away without it being sold."

"So you're gonna sell it too?"

"Let's divide the payment. Yes?"

"What? No. Do you think I gave you something to pay for your rent? I'm very humble. You can have all the payment for yourself."

Ten hysterically laughs. "You're right. You never paid for rent."

"I hate to say it, but I feel sorry."

"As you should be."

A few moments later did the cab come to a stop. Ten gets off the car first whilst Sicheng paid for their taxi fare. Already standing before Ssangdaepo Restaurant, Ten walks up to the stairs until Sicheng calls for his name.

"What?"

"No alcohol for you, okay?"

"You worry too much. What about soda?"

"No soda either. Water is the best option."

"Ugh, that's boring."

"You want to kill the demon inside you?"

"You make it sound like it's the weird way," Ten groans. "Just say a demon baby and you're good."

Sicheng neglects his comment, leading him up the stairs to open the door. He lets Ten in first before following from behind. On their next turn, they spot a table of joy surrounded with their friends almost on their tipsy state.

"You've arrived!" Kun says in excitement. "Took you long enough."

As Sicheng and Ten settle down on the two vacant seats beside Jungwoo, Yuta gestures for the meat. "I've grilled meat for you. Better be thankful."

"My default mode is always thankful."

"Behold, another reunion," Jungwoo rolls his eyes. "As if we didn't see each other together a few days ago. Or last week. No matter how long time has passed, it hasn't been in a jiffy."

"Says the one who canceled their plans for tonight just to be with us."

"I only came for the food."

"Don't mind him. He's on his period." Yukhei jokes, chomping on the meat he grilled for himself. Ten pours the cola onto Sicheng's glass. The latter reminded him about his 'cola ban' while mixing rum into his own cola as if to partially tease Ten, earning a grumpy huff from the demon. Ten distracts himself by digging into his meat presumably grilled by Yuta.

"Damn, you look stunning in your real form," Yukhei says, ogling Sicheng up and down.

"Is that really you? Sicheng?" Jungwoo dramatically gawks. "Never thought you'd be this... Well, gorgeous."

"I can't believe you never showed us your true form even for once," Yuta derides. "By the way, if I was a much more romantic person, I'd grab a chance to date you at any cost."

"You all are exaggerating. Do I really look pretty?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Ten crosses his arms in irritation. "We get it. You shine everywhere you go because of your face and that's how you got Jaehyun to fall for you so stop doubting us."

"Guys, I'm flattered," Sicheng fails to hide his smirk. "Finding My True Identity Through My Ex mission has finally ended."

"We couldn't be happier for you," Kun cooes. "But one question. Is he still your ex?"

An embrace of a quiet atmosphere. No one dares to speak, not even Sicheng. The impatient taps Ten is making with his fingers on the table is what they're only processing until the shapeshifter musters all the courage to open his mouth.

"You guess it. He's still my ex."

"Now that sucks." Jungwoo groans. "You're so boring."

"Nothing changed?" Yukhei presses. Sicheng takes a second to look at their dumbfounded expressions and stifles back a wheeze.

"Everything in the past can never be changed, right? But you can change things while in the present."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm engaged to Jaehyun."

A moment without noises but the fire beneath the grilling noises for them to comprehend what Sicheng had just said.

Things would've been cinematic if they happened in slow motion. Yukhei throws his fist into the air and cracks his voice while yelling; he's holding the pitcher for water on the other hand much to Kun almost getting a heart attack at the chance of water being spilled. Jungwoo randomly pours mixes of soju, rum, soda, and beer onto their shot glasses, causing the drinks to fizzle and fill them to the brim. Yuta is clapping like a seal, his widest smile plastered on his face as Ten guffaws beside him, banging the trays of sauces against the table. Kun is shouting inspirational words in Mandarin only Yukhei and Sicheng could understand. His friends' support for him is truly not a joke even when they were warned by the clerk for their clamorous noises.

"Let's calm down, calm down," Yuta hushes, holding onto his half-filled Soju bottle for dear life. "We can't be that wasted so early."

"By the way, I've always wanted us to talk about a certain topic." Ten says. "Also known the two goofs and couple wannabe."

"You mean the William Shakespeare fanatics."

"And diehard Da Vinci fans, yes."

"Recently, Renjun did tell me that Mark and Donghyuck failed their exams because they've been recklessly in love nowadays. Thus they'll have to take extra classes during the Christmas holidays." Kun takes a deep breath. "Good for them, actually, but I can't help but worry over their grades. I know they only came to school for fun and be educated but at this point, they're wasting the money we paid for their tuition."

"Woah there, I'm actually the one paying for Mark's tuition and he's doing what now?" Ten squints in disbelief. "He and Donghyuck might as well go to Dante's circles of hell. Specifically the second one."

Sicheng widens his eyes in shock. "The actual heck? I thought his literary works are just fiction."

"No, it's actually true. Plot twist: Dante is a demon like me," the look on Sicheng's face doesn't seem convinced. Ten motions to himself. "The only thing that's not true in people's belief is the fact souls go to heaven or hell. They go to the afterlife right away. You can check for yourself and come with me to hell."

"Oh my god," Jungwoo gasps. "No thank you, Satan Incarnate."

Yuta scoffs, "anyways, what happened after Donghyuck took the potion Kun and I made?"

"Ten, you're the one who handed it to him. You should know."

"Well, it didn't take effect until Donghyuck woke up the next day. I wasn't there with him but I'm pretty sure he was extra clingy to Mark." Ten says, biting his lip. "Donghyuck was really in love. According to what I heard from Jisung, they were very precipitous. One time Mark blew up an experiment in their Science class, Donghyuck told him: I quote, that thing is my heart. It exploded because of you, end quote. Everything simply became clear to Mark while the potion's effect lasted. We succeeded in our mission."

Yuta claps. Sicheng does the same.

"It only lasted for like five days," Kun adds. "I'm glad it was worth it."

"I feel like if Donghyuck found out our intentions, his only response would be 'thank you. It was worthwhile.'"

"For real."

"I would like to add in a personal report!" Yukhei jeers. "Jungwoo and I were there when Mark confessed to Donghyuck. It happened on the rooftop of the gang's base."

"The same rooftop where Jisung will fight Renjun once he turns into an adult?"

"Precisely," Jungwoo answers, drinking another shot glass of his wine. "Donghyuck was reading a physical copy of The Canterbury Tales when Mark approached him and said 'love will not be constrain'd by mastery. When mast'ry comes, the god of love anon – Beateth his wings, and, farewell, he is gone. Love is a thing as any spirit free.'"

"Youth may outrun the old, but not outwit." Kun quotes. "Their love sounds so ancient."

"You're centuries older than them and their love."

"Yuta, you were born months before I did."

Ten chortles almost dangerously for his stomach to hit the table. "Did Mark really speak early modern English?"

"Yes he did," Yukhei confirms. "And he even said 'who shall give a lover any law? Love is a greater law, by my troth, than any law written by mortal man.' It's as if he memorized the lines as a dedication either to Geoffrey Chaucer or Donghyuck. There may be no in between."

"And Donghyuck is just there like," Jungwoo pauses to absorb a thought for a whole minute. "I think he said... 'Mark, you're so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.'"

"... The fuck."

"I–" Kun chokes on his soju. "He really said a word that's way longer than Ten's original name and didn't stutter?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Anyways, our so-called reunions will never be complete without interviewing the person who has the most interesting life among us," Ten halts in a cheery tone as if he's a radio DJ or your local host on an American afternoon show. He points to the shapeshifter sitting on his left. "Here's Dong Sicheng for you!"

Kun is the first to inquire. "Doing well with business?"

"Hm. I'm no longer the secretary."

"Don't tell us you were kicked out?"

"Why would he be kicked out? He works under his soon-to-be husband." Ten retaliates.

"Well, I'm an operations manager now." Sicheng beams, avoiding the proud gazes fixated on him by fumbling with his chopsticks on a small bowl of sauce as he dips his grilled meat in. "It's one of the key personnels of a company. If you get promoted to that position, you'd totally be overwhelmed."

"Wow. What do you do?"

"Obviously I'm the leader for the operation and has overall responsibility for the company's financial success. I handle external relations with lenders, community leaders and vendors. I am in charge of either production and marketing business too, meaning I hold both Xiaojun's boyfriends' departments. I also set in the vision, strategic plans and goals – I basically do almost everything there is to keep Seoul Assemblages moving forward. All with my mere dignity and morality, I'm powerful."

"Damn right you are. Who offered that job to you?"

"You would be surprised. It's Doyoung."

Yukhei drops his jaw. "We're surprised."

"Wait a minute, how are things between you and that secretary?"

"We get along just well. He's very modest and servile. I wouldn't have taken my relationship with Jaehyun into a whole new level if not for him and his selflessness."

"What?" Jungwoo squeaks in English. "That doesn't sound very convincing. How can he be that nice when he looks like he's about to bite someone's head off every time he shows his face to the public?"

"That's because none of you has ever seen his true side," Sicheng scoffs. "He's not contumelious unless you push his buttons. Just the ordinary man he is, except he's the same breed as Kun and Yuta. And Jisung too."

"Mages stay superior," Yuta raises his shot glass for Kun to clink with his own. "We're the most influential creatures and you can't deny it."

"Pardon? I can wipe out a whole country with a single blow."

"Shut the fuck up demon, we can petrify you any time."

Ten grumbles, "I'll tell Lucifer about this!"

"Anyways!" Kun claps for attention. "Can we go home in like five minutes? I still need to fill in my forms to apply for NASA." 

"Wait! One more thing. We can't leave without noting down that we have to mark a date in our calendars!" Yukhei whistles, slowly getting drunk on his fourth bottle of Soju. "Hey 'Cheng, when's the wedding?"

"Uh," Sicheng awkwardly scratches his sideburn. "It's on Christmas eve."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the year will end in a few weeks and i cant help but rush things?? also next chapter will be released right on christmas eve bcs hehe the chapter itself is settled on christmas eve hehe enjoy the holidays guys!! hope i can go ice skating with my friends on wednesday right after exams then perhaps if possible we can eat cookies and drink hot coffee in the afternoon
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
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> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


	10. Every argument, every word we can't take back; 'Cause with all that has happened I think that we both know the way the story ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny's fashion evaluation, a night by the balcony, and a wedding on a Christmas eve.
> 
> "They love like some fairytale characters. Disney better step up their game."

Ten strolls of the cab so elegantly he doesn't trip on his heel with a feather boa wrapped around his neck. Sicheng steps out after him and hands the cash to the cab driver. Together, they head inside the wedding fitting venue.

"Your fashion style looks odd today." Sicheng cringes. "And you're like... The Celia Cruz of South Korea."

"Johnny will be there, of course I have to look presentable."

"Ten, you do know he'll give you a ten out of ten no matter how bad you dress."

"And who cares?"

Sicheng recoils. He speaks nothing more as they saunter to the inner part of the place and eventually to the dressing rooms. Johnny is already there, slaying an office suit as if he'd come from work before arriving here. Ten smiles. It's the first time in a while Sicheng hasn't seen, the kind of smile when his eyes would coruscate and his dimples would show. The demon mirthfully runs up to Johnny, throwing his arms to embrace him as the werewolf reciprocates the deed.

Johnny has him on a whirligig off the floor. The latter flails his legs for a bit until Johnny bolsters him down. Ten tilts his chin up to the level of Johnny's face, tiptoeing in the process while Johnny has his hand secured around his waist till their lips close the gap between them.

"I missed you." Ten maffles between their kiss. "So much, Johnny, so much it hurts."

"I'm here, Tennie. You don't have to worry."

"We can spend Christmas together, right?"

"Of course. Anything for you."

"I love you."

"I love you more," Johnny untangles Ten's grip on him. "Wait here. I'll fetch the best candidates for Sicheng's wedding suit."

Johnny doesn't wait for Ten to say anything back and vanishes inside the wardrobe closets. Ten's devastated for a moment until he senses his best friend's already standing beside him.

"You're so attached." Sicheng indistinctly mutters under his breath. "Remember the first thing you told me when I was confined in the hospital?"

"The one when you got ran over by a truck? Hm, what did I say again?"

"You said you gave up a shower sex to come and check up on me."

"Oh did I?" Ten chuckles. "See the things I do for our friendship? Johnny was absolutely distraught at that time."

"You're really that dedicated to our friendship?"

"Have you ever seen me doing something opposed to that?"

"No," he blurts. "Maybe if Jaehyun and Johnny never existed we would've ended up with each other."

Ten snorts, "maybe. Who knows?"

Sicheng glances at his reflection in the mirror of golden outlines. "I have no idea why I keep thinking of our alternate fates. I've been doing it with Jaehyun too."

"You're obsessed."

"Well," the shapeshifter scoffs. "But I think this is the best life I could ever have."

"Man, I used to get sick of being an immortal in the past too. You know, when I keep reconsidering what to do with my life and would just hang, stab, or drown myself in the oceans, in the end I'd be reborn and I keep having crisis again, not until I met Johnny."

"That sucks. I was once executed during the times of the vile dynasties so I died, and then purgatory went 'boo boo the fool thinks he's dead' and sent me back to Earth. I was so mad but Jaehyun felt like his world was recolored."

"Sometimes you just gotta be patient." Ten clasps his hand. "We once felt the strong desire of lachesism then here we are. We've found the énouement of our lives."

"It felt like we hiked a whole mountain to get here."

"Then we'll continue to hike to the top. This is just the beginning."

"Right. We'll do it together."

After a moment, Johnny appears from the closet with a suit folded in his arm. He hands it to Sicheng and escorts him to the fitting room. While the shapeshifter is undressing inside the cubicle, Ten turns to his betrothed.

"I should've brought Kun or Yuta along. They can have Sicheng wear that in less than a second."

"Who?"

"Just our wizard friends."

After a minute, Sicheng slams the door open. Ten gawks at the plain white suit he's wearing.

"It's time for Johnny's fashion evaluation."

"It looks amazing on you," Ten cooes. "Johnny, give it an eleven out of ten or else."

Johnny scrunches his nose and bends down to scan the type of cloth on the suit coat.

"It has a black bow and black corporate shirt beneath the coat. I mean it looks fancy on you, but it doesn't have the wedding kind of feeling. You look more like you're only there for a presidential meeting," Johnny gestures to another suit on the rack. "Try this one."

Sicheng goes back inside the fitting room and changes once more. Ten and Johnny were in the middle of a casual conversation about spending their Christmas morning on Jaehyun and Sicheng's wedding reception when he shoved the door open. Johnny aligns his hands on Sicheng's body line.

"You look perfect in that tuxedo. I'd have you wear all the clothes here if I could. Since you were young, you've had the body that satisfies the clothing designer."

Ten is an inch close from being hebetated. "So? Your rating?"

"7.5 out of 10. It's too classy," Johnny swats his hand. "Let's try another one."

And another change in the fitting room.

"I like the gradation from ivory to macaroon cream," Johnny points down to the pleated pants. "But no! The bottom hem ruins everything. 6 out of 10. Another one."

"Jeez, it's nothing like Jungwoo's 'under the sea' outfit!" Ten complains. He stomps inside the closet to join Johnny in choosing the wedding suits hung on the rack. "Your evaluation is going to take forever and you're just using one model's body. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"We need to get the perfect one for Sicheng's wedding!" Johnny counters. "You know how the saying goes. 'Dress to impress'. Sicheng is from a family of divine nature. He should carry that image while walking on the aisle in a ballroom of more than hundreds of guests."

Speechless, Ten says nothing more. He looks through more of the random white suits on the rack and points to a particular one, "hey Johnny, what about this?"

Johnny grabs the suit from Ten's hold. "Oh my god Ten, you're a genius."

"How long are you gonna be in there?" Sicheng yells from outside, his impatience gnawing on his tone. "I can't be waiting forever."

"Just in time!" Ten chirps, snatching the suit from the CFO before handing it to Sicheng. "If Johnny doesn't confirm it to be the last one, I'll start a riot."

And another changing episode for Sicheng. The suit looks more enthralling than the previous ones he wore. It's a white Designer Paisley fabric, satin shawl collar, full-canvas construction, and has only a single button closure. It has soft, natural shoulder construction that supports his joints, Chest Barchetta pocket dual vents and satin covered buttons. Cotton Jacquard, lining consisted of Bemberg Silk, and White Paisley – all one-hundred percent of quality. 

"It includes a Sebastian Cruz Couture Pocket Square of your choice," he hears Johnny say from outside. "We can decide that for later. Their jackets are made with four extra fabrics to ensure you don't have to send it back to them if its too small or too big. You can tailor your jacket two sizes bigger or smaller if needed. Pretty sure they guarantee your satisfaction."

Sicheng opens the door. Ten sees him first and drops his jaw when he fully shows the entirety of the suit on him. Johnny's still in the middle of prattling about other suit choices when Ten interrupts him.

"John," Ten's index finger trembles, pointing at Sicheng in the mirror. "He looks dazzling."

Johnny quietens for a good five seconds.

"Now that's ten times beyond a rating of 10."

“I don’t feel so devoted in giving Sicheng ge a present. Heck, he’s going out again with someone who broke his heart years ago."

"Are you trying to say you don’t approve of his relationship?”

Renjun nods.

“He’s gonna throw a fit at you if he hears that.”

“Well, whatever. What presents are we getting for his groom? I'm not really feeling his decision.”

“Sucks to be you. Isaac Newton stuck a needle behind his eye to test a hypothesis compared to you only tasked to buy gifts for a wedded couple. Now whose dedication is worth acknowledging?”

Jisung snorts. “Lele, when did you become wise?”

"Since birth, why?"

"Liar."

They cross the road together to get on the other side of the streets, where a small watch shop that hides a whole ship of money resides. It has been Renjun's plan all along and rather than feeling bittersweet about Sicheng's marriage, he decided to be satisfied with his cousin as long as he's happy.

Raining money is not their thing, not when they're only students in a university unless Jisung makes it work some other days. This time, Renjun definitely doesn't want to disappoint the groom with a cheap gift so he leans over the counter and confidently tells the clerk his wanted product.

“The latest model of Tag Heuer please. Formula 1.”

The store clerk disappears inside to fetch his request. As they wait for her to come out, Renjun digs into the pockets of his coat only to feel nothing, realizing the emptiness of his coat. He touches his sideburns, a sign he's a second close to getting overwrought.

“Oh no, I don’t think I brought my wallet.”

“This is why I can’t have you tag along with us outside,” Chenle lets out a disappointed sigh. “I really can’t trust you sometimes.”

“Shut up, where did your million galleons go anyway?”

“You think I’d bring my whole bank anywhere? I’m too lazy to bring my cards, sorry not sorry.”

Renjun holds back the itch in his nerves to deck Chenle to the ground.

“Jisung, you’re the only one who can rescue me in this situation.”

“Bold of you to assume I have a wallet.”

“Idiot, not that! I need you to teleport my–”

“Injun?”

At the call of his name, said boy whips his head to see the person he least wanted to see. He frowns at the sight of them, Chenle and Jisung left in bafflement. Jaemin is sipping on a blood bag to which Renjun wonders why would he do that in public; then again, he only learned recently that he's a carefree guy and gives zero fucks about his environment.

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I’m supposed to ask!” Jaemin shots back.

“Why would you ask?! It’s obvious I came here to get gifts for the wedding!”

Jaemin is a second away from throwing hands when he held it in. “Of course I would ask the person who wanted me dead why would he be here!”

Chenle gags on his own spit. Jisung gawks in disbelief.

“Wait, pardon?” Chenle intervenes. “D-Did you say Renjun ge wanted you dead? Why would he–"

“I don’t know!” Jaemin exclaims. “So you came here to buy watches? What do you want from me, copycat? You want me to die? I’m afraid you can never kill me even after the earth perishes."

Jeno grabs him from the collar behind, “Jaemin, that’s enough–”

“Did you just call me copycat?!” Renjun yells. Jisung and Chenle decided to move and restrain Renjun from kicking Jaemin on the face, pulling him back by the sleeves of his shirt. “I didn’t even know you’d come here!”

“Hyung oh my god, stop it,” Jisung freaks out. “We’re attracting attention, please.”

“So now you want to break my nose huh?! Go for it!”

“Try me!”

“You look beatable for your age, I can’t believe I have to fight someone as scrawny as you–"

“JAEMIN, ENOUGH!”

When Jeno shouts, you know he's frustrated and won't hesitate to cut balls off. Jaemin's might apply. Jaemin glances at his current boyfriend, still trying to process if he just witnessed an angry Jeno.

The store clerk comes in just in time. “What were all those shouts?”

“Our apologies,” Jeno bows for respect. The two youngest boys behind Renjun did the same. "They're frienemies and happened to meet here. I'm really sorry about the violence."

"You didn't damage property, so it's fine." The store clerk hands Renjun the box of a watch before shifting over to Jaemin's spot. "Your order, young man?" 

“Audemars Piguet.”

“Which collection?”

“Jules Audemars. The Ules Audemars Grande Sonnerie Carillon one, thank you.”

“Dang, he has 7.4 billion won?” Jisung smothers himself in surprise. “Incredible.”

In the meantime, Renjun hides behind the younger fairy as Jisung watches Jaemin chatting with Jeno.

"They look cool," the young mage says. "I'd like to be friends with them and abandon all of you."

"But I'll join you."

"You're always valid, Lele."

Renjun facepalms. "I'm in trouble."

"Not our fault."

"Shut up Jisung, you're worsening my headache." Renjun leans into Chenle's ear. "Hey, I know you can help me in this tight situation."

"No."

Please."

Chenle shakes his head, his expression so stoic and cold. His big head makes it worse.

"I'll buy you unlimited packs of ramen."

Chenle bolts from the counter. Within a second, he has made his way to the vampire's direction.

“Excuse me?” Chenle taps Jaemin on the shoulder. “Can you lend us some money? $1,3000 would do.”

Before he responds, he peers over Chenle's big head to see Renjun trying to cover his face from him. Their eyes meet like matching puzzle pieces. Renjun recognizes those daring orbs as the same ones he once saw in the vent of the convenience store, the ones he saw in the office when he came to visit, the same ones he got lost in when they all went out for a night of being free from temperance.

Renjun has only realized it just now. Jaemin is a beautiful man. He hasn't just opened up yet, therefore he doesn't know who he really is and how he naturally acts like. Even so, Renjun was the one who initiated a fight as the usual grumpy boy he is.

Jaemin only smiles at him and proceeds with emptying his blood bag (he'd convince anyone it's apple juice mixed with red grapes just in case). He then grins at the younger fairy in front of him.

“Sure.”

Days passed faster than how immortals age.

Within a month, so much more than happiness in a day happened. Ten somehow rose to fame and promoted to more modeling contracts and journalism jobs through Jaehyun's connection. With Sicheng's advice, Mark and Donghyuck are now an openly gay couple (Chenle and Jisung are still proceeding as the couple's watch guards). Renjun recently reported no one dared to approach and bash them for their sexuality merely because of their reputation as the school's pride and are loved by the professors for their outstanding grades.

"Say, what about I write an online article about their university life?"

"Ten, you're gonna use Mark and Donghyuck as clout for money."

"And who cares? Johnny wouldn't bat an eyelash."

"Maybe if you actually promote Renjun and his two boyfriends then I would've given you my whole bank."

"Are you saying that from the bottom of your heart?"

"No."

When they say two boyfriends, it's Jeno and Jaemin. And when they say Renjun and his two boyfriends, it's true, they're dating and has let the chocolate drama between them slip under the bus. Contrary to their lovey-dovey days filled up to the brim with Jaemin's flirting sessions and Jeno's eye smiles, Chenle and Jisung were confined in a hospital after visiting a haunted house for their Buzzfeed pseudo vlog much to Renjun yelling at them for not including him in their mission ("What did you find?" "Nothing." "Did you lost something?" "My sanity. And Jisung's sandals."). They said Jisung broke a leg or two while Chenle slammed his head into the door, and now Sicheng's squad is fighting over who should pay for the hospital bills. ("Yuta is cheating!" "Ten, you're hallucinating." "He changed his fists in 0.1 second! I'm not blinking!" "Anyways, I won." "Shut up Jungwoo you're giving me a headache." "And I'm out." "Yukhei, you're worsening my migraine.")

Business is flourishing. There were many events that happened in the company, Yangyang's tomfoolery for example. It was never intentional in the first place, but when Hendery demanded a change in the schedule to leave some space for the head of the promotion team's honeymoon, Yangyang had to spill a Starbucks drink to the scheduling manager and swap the papers that have his signature for the company's renewed calendar. Xiaojun almost left his tap open which might result to his office being flooded due to Hendery's distractions. There was also one time when Sicheng witnessed Johnny transform during a full moon in the middle of their private meeting with Jaehyun. If Sicheng was to ask Ten how'd he deal with his boyfriend in werewolf form, the demon would never answer. He'd rather clutch his head like a maniac losing his mind while asking Sicheng ambiguous questions which apparently is so not a Ten thing to do.

"Have you ever thought about how the world can end any moment from now?"

Sicheng almost cuts his finger while slicing tomatoes. They're out for a culinary workshop on holiday day offs and the first thing Ten does is almost wash the veggies with soap.

"What?"

"Imagine we're all gonna die by the year 2060 and your life as a married couple doesn't last that long. Oh my god, me and Johnny too! Imagine even immortals like us die." Ten shudders. "Humans are so scary. They're scarier than immortals. They can kill the planet faster than all superhumans combined."

A pause.

"Ten?"

"Yes?"

"You're acting weird."

"Can't be helped that I've been carrying this watermelon in my stomach for a few months now."

"Get a nap when you get home."

"I can't sleep."

"Your baby is the one who needs sleep."

The art of crepuscule is unfurled in the sky like a treasured canvas stolen from a museum. The full moon came earlier than expected, much to the unusual complexion of the city's scenery. Sicheng observes the view through the balcony of his lover's room that has been turned into _theirs_.

It takes a matter of time before Jaehyun finally shows himself inside the room, switches on his speakers and stands beside the shapeshifter with a glass of wine in his hand. When he lightly jiggles it, Sicheng notices the viscosity and the darkness of the red color of the liquid. It's blood.

"Can we talk?" He asks. "I don't want us to be awkward."

"Don't say that. We're going to be married tomorrow."

Sicheng presses his lips into a thin line. The rhythmic music resonating throughout Jaehyun's room thickens their coziness.

"Yeah. I still can't believe it."

Leaning against the railing of the balcony in the midst of the nightfall is something Sicheng found the bliss of nirvana in. It's even way blissful when he stares off the coruscating city lights alongside the love of his life who was his ex once.

Thinking about it makes Sicheng clench his chest. They were young back then, blinded with nothing but lust especially with the limits in their former generation. Once royal, marked with the reputation of having the thrones, the crowns placed on their heads weren't enough to give them satisfaction. Their relationship was a whole roller coaster ride, a bumpy road full of ups and downs, Doyoung being the main challenge.

And here they are, lovers in love. Once exes, once brokenhearted, now sworn to love again.

"It has always been you." Jaehyun looks at Sicheng straight into the eyes. His heart softens upon seeing the twinkling hope in Sicheng's glistening orbs. "You had the deftness of a master thief when you stole my heart. To see you again someday in this modern life is just..."

"Fantastic."

"Absolutely fantastic."

Jaehyun takes another sip of his 'wine'. 

"You're a fountain of good fortune, my love." He caresses Sicheng's cheek and brushes the strands on his forehead. "You made me feel weak. No offense to Doyoung, but you're the most beautiful human I've ever seen."

The shapeshifter snorts.

"Neither of us are humans."

"Oh right."

Jaehyun lets out a half-suppressed laugh before his dour behavior recrudesces back to his expression.

"I still remember the way you taste."

Sicheng's cheeks flushed beet red.

"I felt empty. I always did."

"Doyoung was there for you," he mutters. "If I could thank him now, I would."

"Yeah," Jaehyun sniffs. "He did make me feel like my life's worth bars of gold."

"Tell me the truth. Was he a rebound?"

"No. I think I fell for him too."

Sicheng doesn't frown or curl his lips into a pout. Rather, he laughs like he always does, the genuine one at that. It's pure happiness. Jaehyun swears he can see sunshine and rainbows splattered across his face.

"I understand. There's no one who wouldn't fall for him. You were lucky to have him once in your life," he gazes off past the highways bordering the city streets midair. "You think if I didn't exist, you would end up with him together?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Jaehyun places the wine on the coffee table situated on the corner of the narrow balcony. "You're the only one I love."

Sicheng fondly smiles.

"So much has happened."

"I know."

"When you proposed to me in the hanok village, I didn't know what to say."

"You didn't even say 'yes'."

Sicheng chortles, "we just kissed."

"Does that mean we're amateurish?"

"Nah. Just mindless in love I guess. I didn't know what was happening in your point of view. I was wondering about Doyoung, your parents, the people in the company. I was thinking if they would accept me. I had the thought of 'does Jaehyun really deserve me?'. I had no clue either why would you suddenly get us engaged either. We were never real lovers. Heck, you never told me about Doyoung's relationship status at that time. Till we had those sincere talks at twelve o'clocks, I got accepted by your parents, the times we spent making out in the office. It just suddenly hits me that life is majestic. I don't think it would still be majestic as it is now if I never met you again."

"Jaemin told me you were having insecurities," Jaehyun clasps his cold hands tight. "I knew you would overcome them. I'm so proud of you, Sicheng. I always am."

Sicheng lets Jaehyun take his hand into his colder hand, his blood running warm against the chilly breeze of the night. It doesn't bother either of them if they're freezing or have little friction to warm them up. Being held close by the vampire is enough to form butterflies in his stomach. Jaehyun's hand is big and only a few inches longer than the shapeshifter's. Sicheng's hands fit into his hands so well they could be mistaken for soulmates.

Only they were initially soulmates.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

If Sicheng was to establish an alibi, he'd say hearing Jaehyun say 'I love you' is better than hearing the same words over a bottle of beer or muffled under the blankets. Jaehyun's melodious voice ringing as a pleasant sound in his ears is streets ahead of an 'I love you' through a song or when baking chocolate chip cookies. It's much better than being told an 'I love you' when they lay together on the fresh spring grass or on a sunny Tuesday afternoon as the late sunlight glows in one's hair.

Truly, Jaehyun's 'I love you' comes off as an endearing message in the midst of the night way past twilight, only the moonlight illuminating one-fourth of Jaehyun's grand room through the open balcony. The white curtains swayed from the cold breeze and Sicheng must've forgotten that Jaehyun's playlist is blaring through his speakers. The next song plays and oh, it's an amorous night.

When Sicheng told Jaehyun 'friends don't kiss friends' after his proposal, both of them were certain it was a lie. A joke. Kissing in a hanok while dressed in Hanboks felt like they were filming a historical drama except it wasn't a new blooming experience. It felt rather nostalgic to them, reminiscing how they used to live in wooden rooms and beyond sliding doors like mortals in history.

But now isn't the time to think about the past. Instead, it's the time to appreciate each other, pour their hearts out, bask in each other's presence and kiss.

Kiss.

"You're beautiful."

It comes off as a shuddered gasp. Jaehyun's breath tickles Sicheng, causing him to become petrified before he could return to his senses and watch as Jaehyun closes the gap between their lips.

It was sensual on the first second. The way Jaehyun tilts Sicheng's chin to attain better contiguity sends chills down his spine. Their lips slide smoothly against one another as Sicheng throws a hand to card through his lover's hair, Jaehyun resting a cautious hand on Sicheng's waist. It takes a moment until Jaehyun sticks out his tongue to put up a little war with Sicheng's, his spit drooping down from the side of his lips. Jaehyun licks Sicheng's front teeth before devouring his hotness.

Jaehyun tastes like blood that has been stirred in a wine flavored grapes. A good five second passes till Jaehyun pulls out just enough for them to catch onto their breaths. However, that doesn't stop him from diving in and indulge himself yet again in Sicheng's warmth, the latter almost moaning in the process. He squirms in Jaehyun's grip when he feels the razor-cut sharpness of his fangs about to impale his neck.

He loves it.

"I can't believe Sicheng is marrying first before Johnny and me."

"I thought you were already married?"

"No."

"That sucks," Donghyuck nonchalantly replies. "Johnny hyung may be too dilly-dallying. He keeps kicking the can down the road. You have no choice but to deal with him if you really love him."

"I do."

"I've always wanted to ask. How are you going to give birth...?"

Mark groans. "A very hypothetical question, Jisung. Very hypothetical."

Ten shrugs, "you don't have to know."

"Seriously though, if you were a werewolf then it would've been easier to give–"

"Anyways, where's Johnny?" Ten asks.

"He's busy fetching dellies for himself in the food buffet," Renjun says, walking in with a plate of sweets as he sits down beside Chenle. "He really has the stomach like Hyuck."

"At least admit it, we're brothers of handsome faces."

"Remember when I asked for your opinion? Me neither."

The wedding is scheduled on a Friday Christmas eve. As far as Ten can remember, the 'renaissance and up children' still had classes on a winter break, skipped them today to attend the wedding. Now he is seeing the five school kids right before his eyes, one thought floated in his mind.

"It's Christmas eve. Kun told me about your extra classes, but why today?"

"We needed to take lots of make-up tests and attend make-up classes."

"Damn, it's obvious you kids skipped often."

"Unfortunately we've done it again today," Renjun rolls his eyes. "The things we do for Sicheng ge."

"See? Our dedication is higher than the peak of Mount Everest."

"When will you drop out anyway?" Ten questions. "Mark, maybe if you pay for your own tuition than telling me to act as your guardian and pay for your fees."

"I swear once everything is over and we graduate, we'll find ways to earn for a living and live on our own just like you!"

"It might take you decades to actually graduate."

"Hey, we should get away from this table," Chenle whispers to Jisung. "Once Kun ge and Yuta hyung arrive, it'll be over for us."

"Exactly."

As Ten is bickering with Mark while Donghyuck and Renjun stay unbothered, the two youngest take a second to crawl under the linen clothed table without anyone noticing.

"Markhyuck is the Francesca and Paolo of the modern generation."

Donghyuck slapped Renjun on the thigh. "Hey, that's not true."

"... The heck is a Markhyuck?"

"Hyung, you can't be that dense."

"It shouldn't be what I am thinking."

"It should be."

"Just my opinion, but Chenle and Jisung are the type of 'two friends' going to a thrift store on a crisp, summer evening."

"What if they already did that?"

"Then I'm exceptionally good at guessing."

"Wait, where are they?"

"Who?"

"Chenle and Jisung." Ten shivers. "They disappeared?"

In the meantime, they apparate to the restroom with the aid of Jisung's improved magic. Chenle leans over the sink to observe himself in the mirror, fixing his fringes while Jisung adjusts the coat of his suit.

"You think the wizard hyungs will find out we use most of the allowance they give us into... Arcade gaming?"

"They could read our minds."

"You can clog their magic with your pixies."

"Kun ge is too nice for me to do that to him and Yuta hyung."

"So you're threatened," Jisung soughs. "By the way, what did you say about Mark hyung and Donghyuck hyung's wedding presents again?"

"They're witty. I mean, I'm pretty sure they know what's up. They won't give them five different sets of duvets for nothing."

"They bought five?"

"Yes. Five as in five." Chenle holds up a hand with all his fingers stretched. "And they used a portion of Jungwoo hyung's estimated salary."

"I can't believe we're that wild. And friends with wild people."

"Our lives have been wild from the beginning."

"True. I don't remember how I survived the French Revolution."

"I think today's a revolution for love."

Chenle and Jisung glanced at the mirror. They'd recognize that deep voice anywhere. Jisung feels his heart skip a beat from fright when he sees no one in the mirror but Jeno. Just Jeno leaning on a cubicle's door, jiggering his necktie as an act to look cool.

Chenle roars in laughter. "Woah! You're really a vampire!"

Jisung turns around, tearing his gaze away from the mirror. Jaemin is standing beside Jeno. Jisung turns to look again at the mirror and discerns no Jaemin on the spot where he supposedly is. He lets out a confused mewl.

"You thought the tales about our reflection were false?" Jaemin grins, making his way next to Jisung to wash his hands. As he is doing it, Jisung watches how the faucet moves on it own and opens by itself in the mirror as if Jaemin is not there at all.

"We thought," emphasizes Chenle. "How do you let yourself shown on pictures? Especially when there are journalists and news writers everywhere shoving their cameras at you?"

"It's obvious." Jeno says in a bitter tone.

"Witchcraft?"

"I prefer wizard's wonders but you're correct."

"Wow."

"Why do you seem so new to this?"

"There's no vampire among our friends so we just y'know, stay oblivious to their presence."

"Then can you let us in your friend group?"

Back in the venue, Yukhei and Jungwoo arrived, dressed formally just like the rest are. They sat on a round table adjacent to where Ten and the school kids sit since their table is fully occupied and the three vacant chairs belong to Johnny and the two teens still in the restroom.

"We waited for decades." Ten bites his cheek, his brows narrowed at the assassins. "Good for you the wedding is taking longer than your arrival."

"At least we came earlier than Yuta and Kun!"

"What took you so long anyway?"

"Listen, we missed the bus three times so we tried to teleport, use our speed powers, levitate and even use mind control to get a cab pick us up. None of them worked."

"Yukhei broke an arm trying to chase a thief down the lane and I stepped on dog's poo!" Jungwoo complains. "Today is our unlucky day."

"Unlucky day? On Sicheng's wedding and Christmas eve?" Ten asperses. "How ironic."

Jungwoo says something to shot back at the demon as Yukhei's attention is drifting away from their pointless bickering. He scans the random people gathered on other tables and the other chattering guests by the lined up array of exquisite meals too many to choose from. Yukhei has advanced senses; he can feel the presence of someone they're not supposed to meet, not in an event like this.

"Jungwoo babe," he mutters. Jungwoo cuts out his banter with Ten and looks at Yukhei.

"Yes?"

"Don't you feel weird?"

"Weird? What do you mean?" Jungwoo takes a second to drain a thought before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't feel anything. Maybe you just have a hunch."

Yukhei simultaneously gives in to Jungwoo's utterance. However, that doesn't stop him from letting his eyes wander around the room, from the empty stage to the buffet corner, to the entrance, and to the other tables for guests until he spots a particular person talking to one of the foreign guests.

"Hey!" He repetitively taps Jungwoo on the arm. Jungwoo flinches at his frenzied agitation. "We have seen him somewhere, haven't we?"

"Who?"

"That," Yukhei's fingers are trembling as he points to the person's direction. "That person– or elf–"

"Oh my god." Jungwoo gasps. "Why is he here?"

"I don't know! He looks highly classier than before. If he's an invited guest at this wedding, then why was he in that rundown hotel from last time–"

"Goodness, I hope he doesn't see us. And Mark."

"Actually," Yukhei nervously chuckles. "I'm still a bit terrified–"

Yukhei steps backward and unintentionally bumps to someone. He quickly looks to see who the person is only to see the ruined floral embroidered shirt first, wet by the process of liquid being spilled onto it.

"Ack! This is from Saint Laurent!"

Yukhei recognizes the person to be Xiaojun, a close relative of his. The latter is complaining about his soaked shirt while Yukhei spends a minute trying to fan him and calm him down from being hysterical.

"Hey!" Xiaojun exclaims. "You wasted bl–"

"Shush! You're going to expose yourself!"

"Listen, that sheep's blood was from a shepherd I paid with $250–"

"Stop mentioning the B word! We're surrounded by a bunch of humans!"

Both of them silenced.

"I'll clean it, I'll clean it right now, alright?" Yukhei hushes with a softer voice. "Be thankful I'm capable of superpowers."

With a loud snap of fingers, the damp circle speckled on Xiaojun's shirt gradually dried within the next ten seconds. In spite of the blood's viscosity and weight dumped on him, Xiaojun is quite astonished to acknowledge Yukhei's advanced skills.

"There. You're alright now."

Xiaojun didn't need to check. Considering he can't feel the moist on his chest anymore, he can tell that the floral embroidery on his shirt is no longer wrecked.

"Thank you. Look where you're going next time."

"Definitely will."

Xiaojun plods back to the table where his boyfriends are. He catches up in time to hear Yangyang talk about something while Xiaojun gestures for Hendery to refill his emptied glass with a new stock of blood. Hendery does as told as Yangyang continues with his typical yabbering.

"Yesterday, there was a fire in our neighborhood and I shapeshifted into a whole ocean wave to save everyone. Sounds smart, right? I'm so smart."

"Dumbass, you could've wiped out the whole town with your tsunami."

"It wasn't a tsunami!" Yangyang protests. "Also, it's fucked up that firemen are always standing around shirtless with their defined muscles coated in glistening oil. Like, oil's flammable, idiots."

"It's called building an immunity you moron."

Yangyang grumbles. Xiaojun turns to his lover on his left and plucks a fur out of Hendery's arm. The half-werewolf retches at the pain while eating raw meat.

"Hendery, people are looking at you."

"Hey, it's not my fault they have this served on a wedding buffet."

"You're supposed to wait until the party and have it grilled."

"Patience is my appendix."

Xiaojun crosses his arms in pettiness. As Hendery reaches for his glass of served wine, he extends their conversation further.

"Last night, I saw a couple eating each other's faces by the balcony of a luxury house just around the corner of my town and I think that's beautiful."

"Like, they were snogging?"

"They were snogging."

"What if that couple was...?"

"Sicheng and Mr. Jung?"

Xiaojun aggressively nods.

"Oh my god."

"We can dream," Yangyang snickers. "But it could be possible."

In the meantime, Sicheng's stuck seated on a dressing chair, bound to look at his reflection for maybe twenty more minutes. San is busy looking for a foundation to match Sicheng's skin while Wooyoung takes care of his eye makeup, careful with the eyeliner. Jongho is in charge of styling his hair.

"Ready for your wedding?"

"Absolutely not. I'm getting heart palpitations."

"Understandable. Have you eaten?"

"A toast and coffee."

"You should eat more. It's only 3 in late afternoon and you must be full for Christmas eve."

"I'll try," Sicheng sniffs. "I'm just nervous at the moment."

"Don't be," San massages his shoulders for a short while to ease him down. "You were once the secretary that led so many conferences and ended controversial topics revolving around the company. Walking on stage in front of many people should be nothing for you."

"Plus, you get to cling arms with the CEO while you're at it!" Jongho jeers. "So many girls and boys would want to be you and marry The Jung Jaehyun. God spent all his fortunes on you."

Sicheng feels his heart flutter, "you're too nice. Thank you by the way."

"No problem. If you need us, we're always here for you."

By the time their makeup grooming period has ended, Sicheng decides to chill on the corner as if he's an artist waiting for his performance's turn. He shuffles the insides of his Hugo Boss bag to look for his contact lenses, only to discover pixies sticking on the textile. He blinks to make sure his eyes aren't playing tricks on him. He tries to convince himself they're only glitters, but the more he ogles it, the more the pixies looked more real.

"Wooyoung?"

"Yes, Mr. Dong?"

"Did someone intrude this dressing room and had access to my bag?"

"No?" Wooyoung tilts his head. "Why?"

"Because I'm certain someone's spying on me as we speak."

"Spying? How–"

"Mr. Dong! Your groom is here!"

At Yunho's call from outside his dressing room, Sicheng exits tout de suite. The backstage hall was huge and constructed with marble floors and walls to match opulence in the place's element. The shapeshifter swats his hand through the cotton soft, ivory curtains to see the man standing before him from a distance.

When the curtains were moved aside as if they were clouds that were cleared, Sicheng thought he's momentarily blinded. Jaehyun's glowing in all his glory. Gunmetal silk-wool blend super 140s Italian fabric, signature shawl lapel thin cut design, chest pockets, adjustable straps and soft, natural shoulder construction decored his upper body, the double-breasted waistcoat made to pair with a jacket. He wears matching pants made with the same fabric as the top. Unlike Sicheng's chalk white shoes, Jaehyun's wearing an unpigmented black, buckled one.

Sicheng only returns to reality when Jaehyun begins to walk towards him. He closes his mouth despite the dryness in his throat, gaping at Jaehyun's face prettified with tones of brown and his eyelids adorned with sparkling glitters. At least they're not pixies.

"Sicheng?"

He flinches.

"Yes?"

"Is that really you?" Jaehyun gawks. "I almost could not recognize you."

"Neither do I. Is that really you, Jaehyun?"

The latter let out a laugh, "it's me. God, you look stunning."

"You're flattering me."

"I'm always pleased to do so."

They probably spend two or more minutes gaping at each other, dazed and speechless. It ends when Jaehyun gently grabs Sicheng's arm. He's wearing the sterling silver 'mon amour' bracelet.

"You really treasured it."

"When will I not? It came from France. You must've paid for it with a large wad of cash."

"I have something that's worth more than a large wad of cash."

"What?"

Beaming a smile, Jaehyun reaches for the pocket beneath his suit jacket and unearths something Sicheng least expects to see. It's another bracelet, something bygone and held both the best and worst memories. Jaehyun hooks it around his wrist just above the French one. The golden material glimmers under the ceiling lights, but the capital letters carved on it shine brighter.

It's the same jewelry Yukhei discovered when they trespassed Jaehyun's office that night. The same one Jaehyun gave him on a night date, the same one he threw at the river after breaking their affaire de.

"Remember? It's yours. I always kept it close with me to make sure I can return it to you someday. But now we've ended up on that someday, I can't be happier than this."

"Today," Sicheng tilts his chin up to let his eyes lock with Jaehyun's. "You returned it to me today."

"It has been long. I waited for approximately four hundred years."

"And you don't have to wait anymore."

"Exactly, now that you're here."

Jaehyun leans for a hug. They've done it countless times, but a hug minutes before their wedding hits differently than the rest. Sicheng stifles back a cry to avoid ruining his makeup, resting his chin on Jaehyun's shoulder while his arms embrace him. It's nice and pleasurable while it lasted.

"Mr. Jung and Mr. Dong?" Mingi appears from the end of the hall. "The wedding is about to set in motion. Please prepare yourselves."

Jaehyun turns to the younger man in front of him.

"Ready?"

"Readier than anyone will ever be."

Yeosang shows up from inside Jaehyun's dressing room, dressed in a tuxedo. He hands Sicheng a bouquet of flowers for him to hold before leading them to the hallway connecting to the end of the stage's aisle whereon they're supposed to begin from. Not a minute later, they hear Doyoung's voice booms on the mic.

"The ceremony will start soon. Please take your seats, everyone."

"I'm so excited," Donghyuck squeals. "I can't believe they're marrying."

"Same." Jaemin replies from the other table. "You can feel the thrill."

"Gosh I'm so jealous." Ten pouts, eyeing the stage's dainty set-ups. Johnny, who is next to him, describes his small action and immediately plucks a flower from the vase serving as the center of their table. He hands it to Ten with an uncontrollable grin.

"Goodness, my hero." The demon yawps. "You're the best."

From the podium situated on the side of the stage, Doyoung leans once more to the mic. "The wedding of Jung Yoon Oh and Dong Sicheng will now begin."

Jaehyun and Sicheng stand facing the lacy curtains adorned with golden silk and lined with threads of rose gold. 

"I'll protect you for the rest of my life. I promise you that."

Sicheng lowers his head down as an attempt to hide the blush on his cheeks.

"What? You don't think I will be able to fulfill my promise?"

"No, it's not that." Sicheng lets out a quiet laugh. "I know you're someone who keeps all of your promises than anyone. You've kept each and every promise you made to me ever since we were young."

He's not dying, but his life flashes before his eyes. Young. It's the one word he doesn't get to mention often. Saying it with Jaehyun holding him tight is like a surge of waves inevitably hitting him. When they were young, they would frequently catch feelings and have mood swings as teenagers growing through puberty.

It's a matter of fact their first loves were each other. Their juvenile times were beyond artistically intricate. Sometimes, Sicheng wishes he could go back to the past. His vague memories were still engraved on his mind; when he pranced on the dance floor with Jaehyun during one of the emperor's parties, when he stayed by Jaehyun's side after his intractable urge to go on a killing spree under the moonlight and they shared bloodstained kisses, when only Jaehyun chose to be with him when he blew his candle on his twenty-third birthday once the hourglass signaled it's precisely midnight, the two of them locked in his hanok room, or when Jaehyun had the utter look of devastation smeared all over his face as he watched Sicheng escorted by the emperor's servant on his way to execution. He genuinely missed those moments.

He is sent back to corporeality when Doyoung speaks yet again.

"May the grooms please enter?"

Jaehyun prompts Sicheng to cling onto his arm. The latter does as gestured, his left hand still grasping the bouquet Yeosang gave him not long ago. Hongjoong and Seonghwa are in charge of drawing the curtains. When they did it, the lovers are on their way to walk hand in hand by the aisle and are now welcomed by hundreds of guests and press alike.

The atmosphere is grand. The paparazzi scattered around the ballroom takes their chance to flash their cameras at them. Seated on the round tables were the guests gazing up at them. Sicheng can discern Jaehyun's parents seated on the first row from the stage far ahead. In the midst of paparazzi, most of their friends are hyping them up from below the aisle. Older businessmen in associations with Seoul Assemblages are congratulating and giving them a round of applause. Johnny is yelling incoherent words in English, Yukhei joins him a second later, and Jaemin whips out his phone to have a video clip of the moment (He'll tease Jaehyun about it sooner or later. There'll never be a day when he's not the annoying Jaemin everyone knows). And if Sicheng would squint, he'll see his other relatives on the far corners of the ballroom trying to get his attention by doing anything formal they could think of to avoid getting dragged outside by the security; clapping, hyping, waving their hands or even flash their cameras similar to the press. Indeed, Yanan, Minghao, Yuqi, Jieqiong, Luhan and all the others are present. The presence of his close relatives brings a smile to his face. If Sicheng had fansites, it would be them.

The sides of the aisle are aligned with uneven candles, all lit and are as of additional grandeur. The wreaths and flowers are displayed on the side of the aisle's beginning, where they stood from. Sicheng is heartily thankful he's not wearing a veil or else, just a suit and a pair of shoes that were apparently killing his ankles due to the length of heels he's not used to.

It takes them a matter of time to finish going by Shanks' pony down the walkway. The stage's background is absolutely breathtaking. A master mix, a shade of white cotton curtains covering the enormous wall, a row of Portylacaria Afra plants arranged with other psychedelic flowers were lined up with tiny little lightbulbs beneath them. An extravagant chandelier is hung from the ceiling, lowered down to match the picturesque masterpiece. Below the chandelier is a pot of another flower wreath and strings of pearl plants also hung from the top.

They stood at the center of the stage and faced each other. Jaehyun glances at Sicheng's eyes before prompting his face up to be inclined with his. Their lips brush against each other, sending chills down the shapeshifter's spine. At first, the kiss is chaste, then later became passionate and steamy. Chaplets of proud claps and shrills are heard from the tables as roses are beginning to be thrown on stage. Nothing in the world can ever be equivalent to Sicheng's jouissance.

Jaehyun is his world. And he was every moment of his life.

Time flies fleetingly. It’s around eleven in the evening, a few minutes more until the highlight of the exclusive Christmas party, which has turned into Jaehyun and Sicheng’s wedding reception, commences. The luminous lights of purple and pink illuminated the whole ballroom, the round tables of white cloth arranged for relatives and guests alike.

"Okay for real though," Jeno intervenes. "I'm really glad I finally got a wizard friend. No one around me ever understands why my buttocks glow at four o'clock in the morning or why I accidentally break mirrors of cars every time I go for a drive."

Jisung twitches the upper corner of his lip, "I hate how I understood that."

"Because you're my only magic buddy," Jeno clamps his fist. "I can never comprehend Doyoung hyung's advanced magic skills. He's archaic. A gramps stuck in a body of a man in his mid 20's."

"That's me with Kun hyung and Yuta hyung."

"So we're in the same boat." Jeno says. "Well? Do you at least see that guy in the buffet line? That one wearing a blue suit with a red bow tie. Eating a corndog, it seems."

"Oh my god," Jaemin halts. He turns away from the two mages, incoherently mumbling under his breath, "oh my god. Not the marketing manager. And that's not a corndog, that's a tanghulu."

Renjun and Chenle are looking at him with confused expressions. Jaemin waves it off.

"It's nothing. I just have a bad feeling about this."

"So?" Jisung catechizes. "What do I do with him?"

"Make him choke. Have the stick 'accidentally' poke his tanghulu."

"What did he do for you to be this underbred to him?"

"For your information, he provokes Jaemin on a daily basis when we're in the office and swoons Johnny hyung all the time so he gets what he wants. And now he gets two boyfriends. That's unfair."

"So you're saying you want more boyfriends?" Renjun yells across the round table. "So Jaemin and I are not enough?"

"Renjun, you got it all wrong," Jaemin pulls Renjun back to his chair. "Jeno meant that marketing manager doesn't deserve his uh, boyfriends."

"Don't yell at me," Jeno raises his hands, remorse clamping his throat. He looks at Renjun with wide eyes. "Don't yell at me please."

Renjun crosses his arms and turns his chair the other way, his back now facing Jeno. The wizard switches his attention to the younger wizard next to him.

"Okay Jisung, go."

"I'm not sure if I can do it."

"Try."

"I might cause an Indiana Jones haywire in this social gathering."

"I'll undo whatever happens just in case."

"You said that," Jisung hisses. "You got my back, don't you?"

"Stop doubting and begin!"

"Okay fine here I go!"

A streak of white light blasts from the tip of Jisung's index finger aimed at his supposed victim. Jeno is the first to analyze the results from at least ten feet away from the buffet line.

"Uh oh."

The marketing manager loses his grip on his sticks of tanghulu, startled when his shoe is caught on fire. The tanghulu stains the white shirt beneath his suit due to his panicked flailing.

"WHO DID IT?!" Yangyang exclaims. At his outburst, Hendery comes to the rescue and spills cold water on his shoe. Xiaojun joins them and slaps Hendery on the head, much to people's wonder about their mess. As far as Jaemin could hear, Xiaojun might be berating him for not vaguely using his magic powers instead. Crackhead behavior he'd say.

"It wasn't exactly what I wanted to happen, but you did a great job."

Jaemin spits out his gum. "Jisung? Did a great job? Jeno, you're onto something."

"I think he ate a whole bag of peanuts this morning."

"Injun, you know you're always right."

Neglecting the mess in the buffet services, the married couple trudges to another table on the left. They recognize a person dressed in a royal blue tuxedo. The person takes notice of their approach and places his wine glass back on the table.

"Nice to meet you," Sicheng greets, initiating a handshake. "We're happy to have you with us here."

Jinyoung accepts the handshake and does the same with Jaehyun. "Having the best Christmas Eve of your life, aren't you?"

"Certainly." Jaehyun remarks. "I hope you're having the same."

"I am. I'm genuinely happy for your marriage. Have a happy married life."

"Thank you so much," Sicheng inclines his body to take a short bow. "Business doing well?"

"Yes. Entrepreneurs aren't so easy to handle sometimes, but my guts tell me we'll get through everything."

"As you should."

"If you would excuse me," Jinyoung perches up from his seat with a wine glass on hand. "I'll get a black coffee for myself and probably some macaroons too. My stomach disappoints me at events like this."

"Please eat well."

Just as the CIO is about to wend his way to the buffet corner of the venue, someone glides his wine glass out his grip as Jinyoung is gently pushed back to his chair.

"Oh Jinyoung dear, you're wasting your stamina." From the tip of his fingers, Doyoung lowers the empty glass on the table. One snap he does and it's filled to the brim with black coffee. He smiles back at Sicheng and Jaehyun. "My boyfriend, Park Jinyoung. Don't tell Johnny or he'll turn as giddy as a schoolboy."

And he does another snap towards the empty gossamer plate next to the glass ensuing to macaroons appearing out of thin air. Jinyoung adoringly grins at him. "You never disappoint."

"Like my mother?"

"She disappoints, however. No offense, Doyoung, but you're a thousand times better than her."

"Let's get going," Sicheng repetitively taps Jaehyun on the shoulder. "No one in this world likes to fourth wheel."

As Sicheng and Jaehyun spend more time roaming around the room to greet every table of their guests and shaking hands of some of their invited business partners, there’s a particular table near the front row having a garrulous talk.

“What did you give to them as presents?”

“I heard from Sicheng about Jaehyun’s predilection towards music so I gifted him a Marshall Acton speakers. Wireless, high quality, expensive brand, whew, my ordinary lucidity,” Ten brags. “I was originally planning to give them wine but I figured that won’t do since y’know, wine is the symbol of our friendship.”

“Are those the kinds of formalities you’re raised with in hell?”

“Depends on which stratum you’re born from.”

“Anyways, we’re rich so we bought them a trip voucher and bouquets.” Jungwoo preens. “And I think Chenle and Jisung have the best present for them.”

“They cooked homemade ramen.” Yukhei elucidates. “It’s served in the buffet but reserved only for the married couple. Eek.”

“The children have the best ones I think,” Johnny joins in. “Renjun bought a Tag Heuer watch because he said Jaehyun reminds him of Leonardo di Caprio. Jeno bought them new sets of neckties while Jaemin had the same as Renjun, just a different brand. They’re wealthy. Beats me.”

“What did you buy them anyway?”

“Coffee beans maker. Y’know, since my dad invented coffee.”

“Must be nice to be you,” Yuta sips on his lemon juice. “At least Kun and I have the most ingenious gift.”

“Indeed. We crafted a ball of glass which will glow at night with stars and galaxies to project the moving image. We just thought it would be beautiful if Sicheng and Jaehyun watched it on their ceiling before going to sleep.”

From the table next to theirs, a half-shapeshifter is sticky-beaking on their cozy chit-chat as he is the nearest, his seat positioned just behind Ten’s.

“That sounds intriguing,” says Yangyang. “Those guys look like they could work for NASA.”

“They’re about to.” Xiaojun apprises. “Kun ge is a clever guy. I’m sure he’ll pass the requirements to work there.”

“Hey ‘Dejun, what did you gift the married couple?”

“Monstera Deliciosa potted plants, prolific ones, so they could put them around their house.”

“Dang it, I feel like I’m the only one who gave a meaningless gift,” Hendery groans, burying his face in his hands. “I bought them a ‘Marriage 101: a Beginner's Guide to a Happy Married Life.’”

Xiaojun spits his red tea. Expectorating was inevitable.

“Don’t worry, ‘Dery,” Yangyang pats him on the shoulder with a mordant smile. “You’re not alone. The best idea I could come up with was to give them kid’s clothes and toys for their future children.”

And now Xiaojun almost eats the tissue he’s wiping his chin with.

“You’re both embarrassing.”

“But you love us.”

“Sadly.”

From another table a bit far away from the others, probably on the third row of the wedding hall arrangement, seven friends are having the happiest time of their lives together just from joking around like teens do contrary to the older men on the other tables. It’s the touch of youth, and even though they’re immortals, they have the kind of mindset engrossed on the millennial generation and times after that.

“Our squad should have a name.”

“Gay dreamies.”

“Go crazy go gays.”

“Gay dreamies sounds compulsive.”

“It should be the go’s one!”

“Oh no,” Jeno covers his ears. “It’s another Renjun versus Jaemin debate.”

Chenle whistles to himself and puts on his airpods. “Not my problem.”

“I gotta stay out of this too,” Jisung snatches one airpod from Chenle, showing annoyance from the bickering across the table.

Yukhei and Jungwoo switch to the vacant chairs just behind Mark, facing the opposite direction from whoever they are hiding from. The naive werewolf notices.

"What are you doing?"

"Hiding."

"Because of you, Mark," Jungwoo groans. "It's always because of you."

"What did I do wrong?!"

"You see that man talking to Ten's lover? That man with the blue hair?" Yukhei subtly points at him to guide Mark's line of sight. "You've seen him before, right?"

"I don't remember him from anywhere."

"Rundown hotel," Jungwoo hisses. "We accidentally killed him because you were distracting Yukhei with all your semester exam rants."

"Man, I couldn't stop myself okay? By the way, who is he? He looks like he jumped out of a shonen manga."

“He’s the receptionist.” Jaemin joins in. “He’s a cool guy, to be honest. The name's Taeyong.”

From behind the CIO, the faint sounds of Renjun and Chenle shouting at each other are audible enough for the ones sitting near them, Jisung and a pair of werewolves for example.

"I could show you later what I saw from the dressing room," Renjun admits. "Just not now. If Sicheng ge catches me, I'll be dead meat."

"You went to the dressing room?!" Donghyuck narrows his brows. "I thought you were with us the whole time."

"No, dummy. I squeezed some pixies in Sicheng ge's bag."

"What do you think they did?" Mark inquires.

"Some disgusting sappy shit." Jisung scrunches his nose. "But not nastier than Mark hyung and Donghyuck hyung."

"Hey child, no cursing."

"I'm gay and like, two hundred years old."

"... Still no cursing."

"Anyways, I want to go home." Chenle complains. "Who wants to spend Christmas by my indoor pool? I'm thinking of throwing a frat party."

"I'm invited for free, aren't I?"

"Obviously, Jisung. You have a copy of the keys to my house." Says the younger fairy. "Anyways, ladies and lesbians for free, gay dreamies for free, Renjun ge for one thousand dollars."

"Jeno! Look, he's disrespecting me!" Gasping, Renjun turns to the seat beside him, only to realize it's vacant and there is no Jeno to restrain him from murdering Chenle. "Jeno? Where's Jeno?"

"Oh! He's up there!" Donghyuck extends his finger to direct their attention towards the side of the stage, precisely on the podium where Doyoung and Jeno are having a casual talk, probably how have they been or if Jeno turned off the stove back at home.

Time fleets once again. Sicheng and Jaehyun went back to their respective seats after greeting and chatting with their guests, on the table they share with the secretarial department members. The Kim brothers together on a podium means a marvelous hosting, so that's what they need to do and host the wedding reception.

"Having a good night, ladies and gentlemen?"

"Of course they are, Doyoung hyung. After all, it's–"

"Christmas Eve!" They chorus in unison.

"That's right, Jeno. Just a few hours more and it'll be Christmas. Feeling the winter vibes, everyone?"

The two emcees position their mics to the people on the ballroom and tables, contented when they answered back with a mix of 'yes' and cheers.

"I see you're all enjoying. Please eat and take snacks from the buffet service as much as you would like. Have a Merry Christmas, people!"

Acting as part of their impromptu cues, Doyoung lightly jabs the younger wizard on the shoulder. "Hey, we can't have a merry Christmas if we miss something significant for tonight's party."

"You're right. Do you think Jaehyun hyung and Sicheng hyung chose to marry on Christmas Eve to have a merry Christmas?"

"I don't get what you're trying to imply."

Jeno pouts. "Okay, move on, pretend nothing happened. But what did Adam say on the day before Christmas?"

"What?"

"It’s Christmas, Eve!"

The ballroom fell into silence before Mark's laugh resonates throughout the place. From the line designated for the buffet, Jaemin can be seen spluttering back his tomato juice on his glass while Renjun aids him with the napkins for his stained cuffs.

"... Is this why the entire company calls you no jam and boring?" Doyoung averts his attention to the ballroom of people snickering at Jeno's ugly pun. "Seriously? You all find it funny?"

Jeno aggressively swats his hand in humiliation.

"Moving on to the highlight of tonight's wedding soirée, we have the CEO of Seoul Assemblage Jung Jaehyun to own the stage this Christmas Eve."

"Let's look forward to what he has prepared. Mr. Jung, if you would."

Seated on a table shared with Johnny, Ten and their other female coworkers like Seulgi and Soohyun is Jaehyun lowering his wine of blood down. Scrambling back to his feet, he goes to the stage alone while Sicheng's eyes twinkle in anticipation, looking forward to whatever Jaehyun has in his sleeves.

While the whole ballroom is focused on the CEO, Jaemin walks up to the stage from the other side opposite to Jaehyun, up to the stairs just beside where Doyoung and Jeno's podium is. He scampers through the backstage curtains and snatches something needed at the moment.

Jaehyun perches up on the stool at the center of the stage, a mic stand settled on accurate measure, the mic leveled right next to his mouth. Jaemin scurries quickly to give Jaehyun his music instrument. Among the curious audience, Sicheng stares at him open-mouthed. Of course he would know how to play the guitar. Jaemin hastens down the stairs in the midst of the dim lighting and returns to his table with the 'gay dreamies' minus Jeno.

The emcees' magic did it all. The microphone automatically connected to the speakers, his guitar audible enough to be picked up by the mic. Telepathically thankful to Doyoung and Jeno, Jaehyun nods at them with a smile as they hid in the dark and all spotlights are fixated on him alone. Five feet away from the stage, an extortionate camera is focused on him to display a live close up of his face on the left massive projector for the audience on the farther spots of the ballroom. The service they do similar to political assemblies or public concerts.

His fingers are positioned on the strings and fretboard. For a second, he inhales to calm his nerves down. All eyes were still on him. Jaehyun doesn't have stage fright; it's just that he hasn't played the guitar for so long let alone play it in front of people. His parents are among them, seated on the center first row. As much as their suspense makes him anxious, he fights the agitation trying to eat him out. His awareness about Sicheng being on the front row looking forward to his performance eases his perturbed reflexes. Beyond everything, he's doing it for him. It's all for Sicheng.

He leans closer to the microphone, bending his head down in a lax manner. The only person he'd serenade for hundreds of years is Sicheng. He did it using an ancient version of the guitar on a backyard of a hanok under the moonlight, by the riverside, by the bridge of a small stream, and never without Sicheng by his side. However, the past is way different from the present. Because now, he's not by his side as he plays it. Presently, Sicheng is one in a thousand watching him sing and tune the instrument.

_We'll stay up late tonight_

_Decorate the tree_

_Just look into my eyes_

_And I will tell you truthfully_

His baritone voice blends well with the tune he's producing himself. His explosive vocals ring throughout the ballroom, resulting to most of the guests being astonished by his well-controlled volume. He sings through the delicate melody, his bony fingers occupied in plucking the strings.

_That I don't need no Santa Claus_

_To hear my Christmas wish_

_I got you in my arms_

_And what could be a better gift_

_Than to spend my very favorite time of year_

_With the one I really love so near, oh yeah_

At this point, tears are threatening to burst out of his eyes. He loses it when Jaehyun began singing the last two lines of the stanza. His makeup may be ruined, but feelings are unstoppable. The enigmatic feeling doted on love is thawing his chest. Lips trembling and tears dripping down his chin, ah yes. He's sobbing.

The first notice among the people on the same table as him is Sooyoung. She calls out for Ten's attention from the table adjacent to theirs and gestures to Sicheng, the shapeshifter's orbs still glued to his lover on stage. Ten sees his best friend's tears not much has taken notice except for him and Sooyoung. He gets the message a moment later, motioning for the two Chinese kids to get moving and do their job.

Although Ten is better at comforting his best friend considering the countless nights he spent with him after a hectic day of work, it's their duty as Sicheng's closest cousins, the best little brothers he could ever have. Chenle goes first to their table, Renjun following close behind with a handkerchief on hand.

It takes Sicheng five seconds to realize the two fairies are already sitting beside him. Renjun is in charge of the same task as what Doyoung is intending to do later on. Chenle clings onto the shapeshifter's back as if he's a koala. He's not aiming to break his cousin's spine, he just wants to tackle him with bear hugs like the usual thing they do at home.

_Ooh, you make the season bright_

_With the lights reflecting in your eyes_

_All my dreams are comin' true tonight_

_It's Christmas eve and I can see we're in love_

Jaehyun deepens his effectuation in the music as an attempt to hold back the tears. He didn't want to get his throat croaky in the middle of singing. Discerning Sicheng's younger cousins despite the phosphenes in eyes isn't helping at all.

_Walkin' with you in a winter's snow_

_Kissin' underneath the mistletoe_

_People smiling everywhere we go_

_It's Christmas eve and I can see we're in love_

Similar to Sicheng, Jaehyun breaks down after the final stanza. He wipes his tears with his bare hand until Doyoung shows up from the side of the stage and shoves his mic to Jeno, leaving his brother befuddled. The older mage strolls towards Jaehyun and whips out tissues to dab on his blotched cheeks himself.

"That's some real plot twist right there," Jisung mumbles to Jaemin, who's apparently still filming the whole scene from his own angle. "Hey, why do you seem unbothered?"

"What plot twist are you talking about?"

"Secretary Kim. It's like... He's the CEO's personal slave all of a sudden."

"Personal slave?" Jaemin scoffs. "Things much more interesting than that has happened in the past. I assure you, Doyoung hyung has cleaned the entirety of Jaehyun hyung's bathroom before and also bathed him in his sleep. Wiping his tears is not a big shocker to us."

"Is that true?"

"You can ask Jeno for confirmation."

"'Sungie, you can read his mind," Donghyuck whispers from behind him. "Get us his memory on both said scenes. If you could only get one, then forget the latter. The first one sounds interesting. I wanna see how that cold-blooded secretary cleans a bathroom."

Jisung frowns at him. "What did you eat?"

"Hongeo Sashimi. Why? Does my breath stink?"

"No. It's just that you're super dumb today."

"Dumb? Me? Jisung, are you trying to beget my anger?"

"Cleaning a bathroom, hyung. How do you think an expert mage ranking levels above mine would handle that?"

Back to the stage, Jeno hurries down the stairs to give Sicheng his personal mic. He can read his mind, he knows the shapeshifter wanted to talk. Another camera attached to the stage focuses on Sicheng to show him on the other projector opposite to the one exhibiting a close up of Jaehyun. 

Jeno sprints back to the podium. Chenle loosens his hug on his elder cousin. A heavy breath in and out is what Sicheng does before uttering his speech, facing the guests and his back to the stage. Jaehyun has finished singing, and by now he's only tuning his guitar into a softer, calmer, and more sentimental rhythm to complement the mood of the current sitch.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you who came to our wedding. I don't know if you planned family vacations flying to Barcelona for Christmas or if some of you originally wanted to stay home while it's snowing outside, but for you to come here and be with us tonight, it brings me joy. If you canceled your plans, thank you. If you chose to watch us be wed over your last minute plans with friends, thank you. So much, really, I can't express my gratitude enough. Today has to be the merriest Christmas eve I ever had."

Renjun traces circles on his back as a form of comfort. Sicheng averts his attention to the stage whereon his husband is still tuning his guitar. His husband. The ex he once had, the boyfriend he once loved.

"And most importantly, I want to thank Jaehyun for being the person who flipped my life into a 180 degree turn. He taught me how to value myself, my life, the people around me. He brought both the best and worst in me. He destroyed me, he mentally killed me, and still became the light that guided me out of my misery."

"I hope he's not talking about being destroyed in bed."

"Shut up Yukhei. As if you don't do the same to me."

From two tables ahead, Jaemin turns around to give them a knowing look. And when Jungwoo stares back at him as if he'd detected his heed, the vampire raises his eyebrows while grinning. His left hand remains to be holding his phone while recording the whole scene on the stage and front row tables.

"Yukhei, you think that little Jung heard us?"

"Little who?"

"That guy with the weird hairdo." Jungwoo tenuously points at Jaemin from afar. "The one who looks like he walked out of a lab after copper sulfate blew up in his hair."

"I don't know man. Does it matter?"

"Never mind."

"Jaehyun is the milk to my cereal. He either ruins or completes my life. We had loads of memories way worse than a tornado. But do they matter? No. In fact, those bad times we had were our bridge to where we are now. If none of them happened, we would've not been shaped ourselves to be better. We went through a lot. Those who served as the main characters in our story would know how tough every day was for us."

"Of course I'm part of it. I'm one of the main characters."

Kun rolls his eyes. "That's because he lived under the same roof as you."

Ten sticks out his tongue, "at least I served as his pillar of strength unlike any of you."

"All was well in the past. Veni, vidi, vici." Sicheng pauses to catch a glimpse of Jaehyun's expression.

He's weeping, wiping his own tears with tissues from time to time, but for sure they're happy ones. Crying didn't stop him from tuning his guitar. Doyoung is nowhere to be seen, probably hiding under the podium on the side.

"We came, we saw, we loved. Most of you must've heard the old saying that goes like 'your first love always go wrong'. I believe it's true, at least that's what happens to most young lovers like Jaehyun and I once were. All was well until something bad happened. We ended our relationship and decided to cut off ties."

Yangyang carries his seat an inch closer to Hendery. "I bet you Mr. Dong– Wait, how do I call him?"

Hendery spends a short while to absorb a thought. "Operations Manager Jung. Or in short, O.M. Jung."

"That actually works. I bet you O.M. Jung shoved CEO Jung to Han river when they broke up."

"How much are you willing to bet?"

"Twenty dollars."

"Only twenty dollars? 'Yang, you suck."

"Then break up with me."

"Hey, tone it down!" Xiaojun shushes. "Sicheng ge is saying something incredibly inspirational."

"Ask yourselves. Where do broken hearts go?" Sicheng enhances his contact with the audience, shifting glances from right to left. If Jaehyun could interrupt the momentum right now, he would hype Sicheng for his improved speaking skills in front of a miscellany of clients. "None of you knows. None of us knows what the answer to that is. But for me, I have my own answer. I attained it because I sought for it myself. When I was young and blind to the opportunities that could benefit me, I didn't have the keys to a better life. After all that happened with Jaehyun, I swore to never love again. But our fate is drunk. Just as I thought I was living a decent life as far as it could be, I crossed paths with Jaehyun again. Long story short, we tried to be in good terms for less awkwardness. We only realized we were still alive for each other later on. So now, where did our broken hearts go? It returned to where it came from."

"Damn," Donghyuck gawks. Even the other people in the ballroom seemed in awe at his unrehearsed extemporization. "Even Shakespeare sunbaenim can't think of something like that."

"They love like some fairytale characters." Yangyang mumbles under his breath from the other table. "Disney better step up their game."

"I hate to admit it, but I once wished to marry Jaehyun and live a life committed to him. Have our own house, build a family, grow old together. It was all a dream. Just something I made up in my imagination. Now I'm here. I still refuse to believe it. I married Jaehyun today, I have this ring on my finger, I feel ecstatic. Sworn to never love, I said. Your first love always goes wrong, they said. Well, I broke up and made up with Jaehyun within the many years of my lifetime. I cannot be ruined. I took my broken wings and kept moving. I didn't give up. I recognized my worth. It was as simple as that. Through the rainbows and thunderstorms I encountered, Jaehyun was there to hold me tight and enlighten me. Sometimes someone has to be there to be with you during your darkest days."

"Oh my god," Ten leans to Johnny's shoulder, blinking back his fake tears. "Hold me John babes, I think I'm gonna blub."

Cat got tongues of Renjun and Chenle, who were slumped down on the chairs in front of Johnny after helping a sniveling Sicheng gain back his assertive mettle. Watching Sicheng speak about his life upfront from their spots makes them tear up a little, Renjun's Adam's apple bobbing up and down to prevent the tears from clogging a pathway on his nose.

"I couldn't be happier than this. An immense amount of gratitude goes to the people in the office who assisted me everyday especially Secretary Kim, CIO Jung, accountant Kim, CFO Seo, environmentalist Xiao, marketing manager Liu, production manager Wong, and the whole secretarial department. And to my best friends: Ten, Kun, Yuta, Jungwoo, Yukhei, and the teens. I wouldn't have made it here without your moral support. Again, thank you so much."

Donghyuck gasps. "He still calls us teens. He's Markhyuckrenlesungphobic, isn't he?"

Mark creases his forehead, "when did you learn to speak Gibberish?"

"Wow, I didn't know our combined names is Gibberish."

Sicheng whips his head to the stage. Jaehyun is gradually putting down his guitar on the floor. Jittery fingers and legs about to give up he has whilst dismantling the microphone from its stand. He won't speak until the shapeshifter is finished.

"In the beginning, I thought my life was a glass box, constantly cracking and leaving me with scars after we broke up. Grief. That was what I felt. A paradox of healing and hurting simultaneously. Then I conceded Jaehyun to be my true love. Beauty is deceiving. No love will ever be without the pain of its loss. But ask yourself. How beautiful is your life when you're not boring a hole through it? How pretty can it be if you possessed one of the greatest and heavenly virtues, patience?"

Jaehyun will cry forever if he could. The many words he wanted to say are at the tip of his tongue. He's still frozen on his spot when Sicheng quietly goes up the stage through the stairs next to the top aisle.

The mics on their grip forgotten, Sicheng runs to Jaehyun and hugs him tight. Jaehyun reciprocates the action back as his arms secured around Sicheng's waist.

"I'm so happy to have you back in my arms," Jaehyun says in between his cries. "I'm so happy."

"You don't know how much I love you." Sicheng answers. Their muffled voices were barely audible for the audience since their mics were out of range. That doesn't stop them from muttering words of intimacy.

"You are my moon, my sun, my star, and my whole universe." Jaehyun mildly pushes him away. He glances at Sicheng's hand, his wrist embellished with two bracelets and the wedding ring sported by his finger. "You look stunning."

"Just a white suit imported all the way for my body. What's stunning?"

"Everything about you."

"Kiss!" Donghyuck hollers from his table with no shame. "Kiss! Kiss!"

From the front row, Renjun and Chenle join his encouragement. Jaemin and Mark catch up to their chants a second later. And Ten, Johnny, and the now rest of the ballroom.

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Jeno makes it louder for them by incanting on the microphone while Doyoung obligingly positions his mic to the guests seated near and at the bottom of the podium.

"Damn brats," Sicheng cusses as he lets his gaze roam around the venue to see the guests still chanting the special word. "I heard Hyuck's voice first. I can't be mistaken."

"Let's be generous and give them what they want, yeah?"

Before Sicheng could respond, Jaehyun pulls him into another steamy kiss. Their lips slide in a delicate way at first. Jaehyun becomes dominant as his tongue devours Sicheng's. Their bussing is so zealous they had to repress their saliva from dripping out the corners of their mouths.

The ballroom is enlivened to cause an uproar of acclamation. The sight of the spliced lovers kissing at the center of the stage is a pleasant one for them. Ten stifles back an ugly sob whilst Johnny takes his slot to massage the demon's shoulders. In the meantime, two wedded elders are getting sentimental on the front row chairs.

"A brilliant boy, isn't he?" Jaejoong opines. "I now understand why our son fell for him."

"I have no reason to disagree." Yunho replies, staring at the two lovers on stage. "Such a handsome man too. Jaehyun truly deserves him."

The two emcees are back to making unscripted cues. While the ballroom is distracted by their publicized chattering, Hendery pats Johnny on the shoulder to call for him and Ten. They get going on with the chores assigned to them on stage.

"We have no idea what the current weather tonight is as we've been inside this venue for the whole day, but it's freezing cold," Jeno speaks. "It must be snowing outside. Please make sure you don't catch a winter fever and be safe on your way home since it's already dark outside. Bring hot packs along with you if you can."

"We're extremely happy to have you with us this Christmas eve and for the Jungs' wedding." Doyoung adds. "And I must remind you, our dear guests, this party will go on till six in the morning. You're free to go home as you wish. Once again–"

They utter at the same time, "have a Merry Christmas!"

The spotlights on the podium dimmed before Doyoung and Jeno walked off the stage and joined Irene and the others on their table at the very front. The guests' attention is now immersed at the center of the stage whereon lounge tables are situated as Ten and Johnny brought the cakes. Yangyang and Xiaojun added more lounge tables whilst Hendery carried two more cakes and placed them on the surface.

"That's one glossy red cream," Sicheng mumbles to Ten, pointing at the fifth cake. "Is it jelly?"

The demon flashes him a menacing grin. "That's exclusively for Jaehyun. What do you think? The pastry chefs did a great job, didn't they?"

If Sicheng could throw up right now, he would do it without hesitation. He never knew blood can be an ingredient for pastries.

"Congratulations!" Ten shouts through his personal microphone. "Congratulations on your marriage!"

At his sing-song tone, guests begin to sing along. Sicheng takes a glimpse of the cakes to his left. One of them had miniature figurines of him and Jaehyun on its uppermost layer. He's hauled from his trance when Jaehyun shows up beside him with a small plate of a slice of a caramel cake. The vampire shoves the fork onto Sicheng's mouth and smacks an icing to his cheek, eliciting a scream from him. Jaehyun playfully runs away just in time.

"Hey come back here!"

Giggling, Sicheng cups a whole cream decoration into one palm and chases after Jaehyun. Sooner or later they'll end up home with cakes smeared all over their gelled hair and pricey suits. The event's service crew turned on the disco ball to switch the atmosphere back to a winter party while a Christmas carol plays through the speakers. Ten ushers Johnny and the three office managers to come down the stage with him and leave the wedded couple running around as if they're children in a daycare. Sicheng couldn't care less when their guests began minding their own business and more of them trotted back to the buffet for more Christmas desserts.

He's just Sicheng, a shapeshifter. At first his life meant nothing next to ashes of a lost city, now is lingering in his own paradise. Once drowned in a sea of broken hearts, now have risen to the skies of euphoria. Once in the midst of others, he's consumed by wildflowers, rushing waters, solid stones, and thunderstorms, now just a living soul still bound to Earth's dimension and knotted to a husband he wished to marry for so many years. He was once as hollow as a honeycomb, yet still sweet and glacé. His deception in its purest form.

He's just Dong Sicheng, blind to love and to mistakes. Feelings just choo-chooed down his rail and hit him like a train. Their fate is drunk yet led them to the best of the best. Here he stands with Jaehyun, on a stage in front of their friends, relatives, and guests, splashing cakes and whipped creams onto each other's faces.

Even though it's their wedding party, it's never a Christmas eve with them if there's not a tincture of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And alas, my journey has come to an end!! I am so happy that I've finished writing this fic and I hope you know that I'm always willing to provide content for the JaeWin nation. I can't express my gratitude enough for those who stood by and were a vital part of my journey. You have become a big part of my writing adventures and I will never forget the days I read your encouraging messages uwu
> 
> I may not post anything for a while in this account but I am very pleased to announce that I'm releasing an adventure-genred JaeWin fic soon which includes ships such as JohnIl, DoTae, KunTen, and more. It's still currently on the go in my drafts and has exceeded 100K word count and I've been writing it since July :> I'm like 3/5 done with it so I think it'll be finished before the latter half of 2020 comes around. I'd be happy to know if some can look forward to it hehe
> 
> And not to forget, Merry Christmas, everyone ♡ I love you all uwuwu enjoy the holidays and stay warm!
> 
> self-promo:  
> [cc!! tell me anything](https://curiouscat.me/deadxxpoets)  
> [twt acc](https://twitter.com/deadxxpoets?s=09)  
> [ig spam](https://www.instagram.com/lustrousdoyoungs/)


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